The Very Reverend Florian J. Gall, a 68-year-old male, died on Saturday, June 28, 2003, while a patient at Somerset Medical Center in Somerville, New Jersey. At the time of his death, he was the Episcopal Vicar of Hunterdon County for the Diocese of Metuchen and the pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Whitehouse Station. While he was expected to recover, his death was ultimately determined to be a homicide. An investigation revealed he had a lethal level of the heart medication digoxin in his system.
Subsequent investigations into suspicious deaths at the hospital led to the arrest of Charles Cullen, a 43-year-old nurse who had worked in the critical-care unit. Following his arrest in December 2003, Cullen confessed to detectives that he had murdered Father Gall by administering the fatal dose of digoxin.
He also admitted to killing numerous other patients throughout his 16-year nursing career at various hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Cullen claimed his motive was to end the patients' pain and suffering, though not all of his victims were terminally ill.
In April 2004, Charles Cullen pleaded guilty to the murder of 13 patients, including Florian J. Gall, and the attempted murder of two others. As part of a plea agreement to avoid the death penalty, he cooperated with authorities. Cullen was ultimately sentenced to 18 consecutive life sentences, making him ineligible for parole until 2403.
