Otha Harrison Hart – Serial “Mercy” Killer
Background
Otha Harrison Hart was a nursing‑home orderly born on November 20, 1949, in Lancaster County, Nebraska. He worked at a care facility in Eugene, Oregon, and suffered from diabetes. On June 7, 1993, he died at age 43 while serving time for his convictions .
Modus Operandi
In early 1979, Hart administered large doses of regular insulin (about 300 units per patient), knowing lethal overdoses would likely go undetected post‑mortem. He claimed the patients—who were elderly or suffering—asked him to end their suffering .
Legal Proceedings
After confessing to four killings in Lincoln, Nebraska, he was extradited to Oregon. Initially charged with aggravated murder, he entered pleas of innocence but later pleaded guilty to reduced charges of attempted murder in March 1984 . He received concurrent 20‑year sentences and was serving time when he died .
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