On July 11, 1989, Doris Moriarty, an 83-year-old White female resident of the Clyatt Memorial Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, passed away. She had been living at the nursing home for three years. At the time of her death, no foul play was suspected, and her passing was attributed to natural causes.
Approximately a month later, on August 9, 1989, Jeffrey Lynn Feltner, a 26-year-old former nurse's aide at the Clyatt Memorial Center, contacted a local television station under the
pseudonym 'Jack.' He claimed that a friend had confessed to killing several patients to alleviate their suffering. The following day, the nursing home's administrator, William Powell, informed the police that Feltner had been on duty the night Moriarty died and had made a remark suggesting someone should check on her. Additionally, Feltner's roommate reported that Feltner had admitted to suffocating patients. These revelations led to Feltner's arrest on August 10, 1989, and he was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Moriarty's death.
During police interrogations, Feltner confessed to killing Moriarty and several other patients, claiming he acted out of a desire to end their suffering. However, he later recanted these confessions, stating that he had fabricated the stories to draw attention to the neglect and abuse occurring in nursing homes. Despite his retraction, Feltner eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of murder, including that of Doris Moriarty, in exchange for a life sentence with a mandatory minimum of 25 years, thereby avoiding the death penalty. He was not charged in connection with the other deaths he had confessed to. Feltner died of AIDS-related complications in Florida State Prison on March 17, 1993.
