William Husel, a doctor in the Columbus, Ohio, area has been charged with 25 counts of murder, as reported by NBC News. He pleads not guilty to all counts and now faces a $1 million bond.
According to prosecutors, he stands accused of ordering excessive (and potentially fatal) doses of opioids. These charges come after a six-month investigation by the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office.
"I've been a prosecutor for 22 years and have not seen a 25-count indictment during those years," Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien stated.
How did this go on for so long? That’s part of what’s still being investigated. It was the deaths themselves that raised questions of alleged medical malpractice. According to prosecutors, more than 30 employees might have made mistakes over and over, allowing this to happen. But while other employees, like pharmacists and nurses, seemingly followed his orders, the criminal investigation centers on Husel.
To provide some background, Husel was employed by one of the biggest health systems in central Ohio, the Mount Carmel Health System, from 2015 to 2018. At the time of his employment, he worked in intensive care. This is particularly important because many of his patients weren’t coherent or otherwise alert when receiving his care. This means that, according to prosecutors, there’s no conceivable medical reason they should have received fentanyl in fatal dosages.
In layman’s terms, the logic is as follows: Fentanyl is a painkiller, but if someone isn’t coherent, they don’t need those potentially fatal doses—except, as prosecutors allege, to possibly move them closer to death.