Lee Roy Hargrave Jr.: The Suspected 'Lidocaine Killer'
Early Life and Background
Lee Roy Hargrave Jr., born in 1954 in Virginia, was a nurse's aide at Petersburg General Hospital in Petersburg, Virginia. He aspired to become a doctor but faced academic challenges, leading him to work in the medical field as an aide. Described as a loner with interests in the occult and supernatural, Hargrave's behavior raised concerns among colleagues and acquaintances.
Suspicious Deaths at Petersburg General Hospital
In June 1974, Petersburg General Hospital experienced an alarming increase in patient deaths. Over a two-week period, twelve heart patients in the coronary care unit died unexpectedly between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.—the shift during which Hargrave worked. Hospital administrators, unable to find medical explanations for these sudden deaths, noticed that Hargrave was present during each incident and often initiated the emergency responses.
Investigation and Arrest
Hospital officials launched an internal investigation, cross-referencing employee schedules with the times of the deaths. They discovered that Hargrave was the common factor in all twelve cases. Further scrutiny revealed that he had been present during other unexplained patient deaths. Blood and tissue samples from the deceased patients were sent to the state lab, where toxicology reports indicated lethal doses of lidocaine—a heart depressant not prescribed to these patients.
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