Richard Angelo: The "Angel of Death"
Early Life and Background
Richard Angelo was born on August 29, 1962, in Long Island, New York. As the only child of Joseph and Alice Angelo, both educators—his father a high school guidance counselor and his mother a home economics teacher—Richard was described by neighbors as a quiet and polite individual. He graduated from St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in 1980 and pursued nursing at the State University of New York at Farmingdale, where he consistently made the dean's list, graduating in 1985.
Career and Underlying Motive
After obtaining his nursing degree, Angelo worked briefly at Nassau County Medical Center and Brunswick Hospital before joining Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, New York, in April 1987. Despite his professional competence, Angelo harbored an intense desire for recognition. This yearning led him to devise a plan where he would induce medical crises in patients using unprescribed paralytic agents, intending to intervene heroically and earn praise from his colleagues. Unfortunately, many of these interventions resulted in patient deaths.
Crimes and Victims
Between April and October 1987, Angelo's actions led to numerous medical emergencies during his shifts. Notable incidents include:
- September 8, 1987: John Stanley Fisher, 75, died after an induced crisis.
- September 16, 1987: Milton Poultney, 75, passed away under similar suspicious circumstances.
- September 21, 1987: Joseph Francis O'Neill, 79, succumbed following an unexplained medical event.
- October 5, 1987: Joan Hayes, 53, died unexpectedly.
- October 9, 1987: Frederick LaGois, 65, passed away after a sudden medical downturn.
- October 16, 1987: Anthony Greene, 57, died under suspicious conditions.
In total, Angelo was suspected of poisoning at least 35 patients during his tenure at Good Samaritan Hospital, with many cases resulting in fatalities.
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