NICU NURSE FROM HELL TAKES SWEETHEART PLEA DEAL AFTER BREAKING BONES OF MULTIPLE NEWBORNS.

Summary

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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: "NICU Nurse from Hell Takes Sweetheart Plea Deal After Breaking Bones of Multiple Newborns"
Date: February 7, 2026

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Overview

This harrowing episode of Crime Stories with Nancy Grace investigates the disturbing case of Erin Elizabeth Ann Strautman, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse accused of breaking the bones of multiple newborns at a Virginia hospital. Nancy Grace explores how Strautman received a plea deal allowing for a maximum sentence of just three years, provoking outrage and questions about justice for the infant victims and their families. The episode features firsthand accounts, expert medical and legal commentary, and a broader exploration of hospital accountability.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Shocking Crime & Arrest

• Erin Elizabeth Ann Strautman (27) was arrested after several premature babies in the NICU suffered unexplained bone fractures ([00:35]–[03:00]).
• Strautman pleaded no contest to nine felony child abuse counts; "no contest" means not admitting guilt but accepting conviction ([00:35], [13:53]).
• The hospital’s NICU was shut down when the investigation began due to the alarming injuries.

Nancy Grace: "This is the last thing I want to see hovering over my bed... An intensive care nurse accused of abusing newborn babies now cops a deal." ([00:35])

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2. Families’ Betrayal of Trust

• Parents had to place their most vulnerable infants in the care of strangers, trusting hospital staff completely ([03:48]–[04:25]).
• Dominic Hacke, father of two NICU infants (Noah and Micah), shares his family’s ordeal when one baby suffered a fractured leg ([05:41]).

Nancy Grace: "Think about it. A newborn baby, premature, lying there defenseless... In the NICU, did an angel of pain stalk the halls, preying on defenseless infants?" ([04:25])

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3. Firsthand Testimony: Dominic Hacke’s Story

• Hacke learned of his son's injuries after being told the baby wasn’t moving his leg and had discoloration ([05:47]).
• Doctors tried to offer an explanation—possibly an injection administered incorrectly—but bone density issues were never discussed ([09:35]).
• Hacke and his wife were overwhelmed: one baby gravely ill, the other inexplicably harmed ([08:31]).
• Initially, Hacke didn’t know that other babies had similar injuries; police, not the hospital, informed him later ([24:56]–[25:27]).

Dominic Hacke: "It feels like my son was in this world for a week and I failed to protect him. And it keeps me up at night. But I won’t fail my son again… That we were in the room with the devil and we had no idea." ([23:14])

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4. Medical Perspective: How Unusual Were the Injuries?

• Dr. William Maroney, medical examiner and pathologist, explains fractures in NICU babies are extremely rare ([12:22]).
• Birth injuries typically involve collarbones, not legs or multiple ribs.
• The force required to break a NICU baby’s bone is akin to cracking a broomstick or hitting a wall at 20 mph ([20:05], [21:44]).

Dr. Maroney: "Legs don’t break in delivery. I’ve never—25 years—I’ve never heard of any kind of broken arm or leg in delivery." ([12:22])

• Such injuries are "highly suspicious" and warrant immediate investigation ([13:53]).

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5. Failures and Cover-Up by the Hospital

• Hospital conducted an internal investigation, placed four nurses on paid leave, but found nothing ([38:49]).
• Surveillance cameras only installed after multiple injuries were reported, ultimately capturing Strautman inflicting harm ([34:21]).
• Hacke and other parents were never informed by the hospital about the broader pattern of abuse; information only came from police ([25:27]).

Greg Morse, attorney: "The hospital’s cover up... they questioned these parents as you pointed out, they're the first suspects. There is no world where the hospital doesn’t know this is going on..." ([41:23])

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6. Details of the Plea Deal & Outrage over Justice

• Strautman’s plea deal caps her sentence at three years, drops charges requiring proof of malicious intent ([13:53]).
• As part of the deal, she's banned from working in health care—but Nancy Grace points out she could easily change jurisdictions and reoffend ([13:53]).
• Many panelists express outrage at both the plea’s leniency and its inability to prevent future risks ([13:53], [41:23]).

Nancy Grace: "She’ll probably change her name, get fake credentials, go to another jurisdiction, become a nurse, and start abusing children again." ([13:53])

"What were these prosecutors thinking? Dear Lord in heaven." ([13:53])

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7. Comparisons to Other Infamous Cases

• The case is likened to the notorious Lucy Letby, a British nurse who murdered NICU babies and consoled grieving parents ([27:55]–[31:09]).
• Psychologist Dr. John de la Torre and reporter Alexis Torreschuck weigh in on motivations for such crimes—a toxic mix of craving attention and harboring animosity ([29:05]–[29:53]).

Dr. De la Torre: "She wants the attention that she gets for being this grand nurse who’s there to console. But in reality, she hates these children… That is the level of anger and animosity..." ([29:07])

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8. Revelations from Surveillance Video

• Surveillance captured Strautman “placing her full body weight” on infants, forcefully manipulating their legs until the bones broke ([34:21]–[34:56]).
• Nancy is appalled that Strautman described her own assault as “a little too rough” ([32:55]).
• Hacke did not see the footage until after the fact and only learned about its existence through new court proceedings ([35:04]–[36:22]).

Nancy Grace: "You broke their bones a little too rough? My rear end. This woman needs to go straight to hell and share her stories with Beelzebub and Satan." ([32:55])

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9. Expanding Scale: Multiple Victims & Community Impact

• At least seven babies are under investigation; one family’s child suffered 12 fractures ([42:25]–[43:11]).
• Hacke is now in contact with several other affected families ([43:15]).
• Police continue to search surveillance footage, and new revelations are expected ([42:27]–[43:04]).

Nancy Grace: "Hell would freeze over before I would have my children in a NICU unit where other babies had had fractured bones... But you didn’t know that, did you?" ([25:39])

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10. Parents’ Resilience and Ongoing Fight

• Hacke expresses gratitude his children survived, vowing to advocate for victims and ensure this never happens again ([44:26]).
• The episode closes with a warning to be vigilant about such predators, especially given the limits of the legal system ([45:05]).

Dominic Hacke: "I’m just truly blessed that my outcome and my situation did not end in death." ([44:26])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Nancy Grace: "Feel like I’m eating a dirt sandwich. Drops charges of malicious wounding, which would require evidence of intent." ([13:53])

• Dominic Hacke: "We just had to trust them… the hospital was doing what they were supposed to do, even though they were telling us that we may never find the person who did this, because unless somebody confesses… it was going to be hard to say…" ([17:37])

• Dr. Maroney: "Broken ribs are very difficult. You either crush a baby’s chest or you swing the baby like a baseball bat and hit a wall. Those are how you break ribs." ([22:10])

• Nancy Grace: "Video footage… Strautman appearing to place her full body weight on one infant who was screaming out in pain." ([32:55])

• Greg Morse: "If the people investigating are sweeping it under the rug, then what do you do? It’s heartbreaking for these families… to be a suspect, essentially by the hospital administrator, so they could hide their own malfeasance..." ([41:23])

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Timestamps for Major Segments

| Segment / Key Moment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------| | Introduction and overview of Strautman case | 00:35 | | Interview: Dominic Hacke learns about son's injuries | 05:41 | | Dr. Maroney: Medical explanation of birth fractures vs. abuse | 12:22 | | Outcry over plea deal, dropping of malicious wounding charges | 13:53 | | Dominic Hacke: What families were told & hospital's gaslighting | 17:37 | | How much force is required to break an infant’s bones | 20:05 | | Revelation: Police informed parents about other injured babies | 25:27 | | Parallels to the Lucy Letby case and psychology of medical abusers | 27:55–31:09 | | Details from surveillance video, discovery of Strautman’s actions | 34:21–35:04 | | Hospital’s failed self-investigation and possible cover-up | 38:49 | | Legal and hospital accountability discussion | 41:23 | | Scale of case expands: 12-fracture victim, support among parents | 43:04–43:15 | | Closing: Parental resilience, gratitude, warning to the public | 44:26–45:05 |

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Tone and Language

• The tone is deeply emotional, righteous, and often incredulous—embodying both outrage and heartbreak.
• Nancy Grace delivers tough questions, expresses raw indignation, and gives space to the parents’ pain, while maintaining clarity and a forceful call to action.
• The guests, medical and legal experts, and affected family members, speak candidly and often graphically about the ordeal faced by vulnerable infants and their families.

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Utility for Listeners

This summary delivers a clear, emotionally powerful, and fact-rich account of the episode’s content. Listeners are guided through the events, the failures of the system, and the voices of those most impacted—all punctuated with expert insight and calls for awareness and action. The case’s context within a broader pattern of medical abuse is addressed, empowering listeners to question and advocate for medical accountability in their own lives and communities.

Transcript

[Nancy Grace]

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[Narrator/Reporter]

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[Nancy Grace]

Crime Stories WITH Nancy Grace. This is the last thing I want to see hovering over my bed if I had to be in the hospital. This intensive care nurse, the one accused of abusing newborn babies, now cops a deal. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us. And an intensive care nurse ICU in Virginia accused of abusing infant babies. Newborns pleads no contest to nine counts felony child abuse. I don't think I would have let her plea. No contest. Nilo contendre. In other words, I'm not saying I did it and I'm not saying I didn't do it. Oh no, woman, you are going to confess up under oath. H E double L N O. You're going to tell the truth. That said, they let her plead no low. Erin Elizabeth Ann Strutman, 27. Thank goodness they got her. She's got a whole lifetime of abusing infants ahead of her. If they hadn't arrested last year. After multiple newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit, NICU were left with unexplained fractures to their tiny bodies. Can you imagine? Oh, fur would fly if my little babies in NICU got fractures to their legs. Oh my stars. And the babies couldn't even say anything. The hospital closed its NICU when police started their investigation. And then what came was a long list of crimes alleged against Strotman. This is what we know. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, A so called angel of pain stalking the halls of the nicu, the newborn ICU unit. That's the suspicion after seven newborns. Just tiny baby infants suffer unexplained broken bones while in the hospital. Joining us tonight, the father of two of those babies. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us.

[Narrator/Reporter]

NICU nightmare infants with broken bones. What happened to these preemie babies, premature babies?

[Nancy Grace]

I know I had two of them and they survived only because of the nurses and doctors in the nicu. They would have died if it had not been for the Northside Hospital NICU unit after an emergency delivery. Sadly, that was not the case with many, many other parents at one particular hospital who would take a baby's bones, an infant, a newborn, and break and fracture their bones as they lie there helpless. First of all, take a listen to this.

[Narrator/Reporter]

It is a burden and a huge responsibility and also a privilege to be able to care for these children at their most vulnerable states. And these families in their most vulnerable states, many, many of them have gone through all kinds of toil and trouble just trying to get pregnant and then to deliver early or to have complications during delivery. It's just heart wrenching for these families to not be able to go through a natural birth process and take your child home with you, leave them in the care of others who you really don't know. You have to trust them.

[Nancy Grace]

You do, you have to trust them. And sadly, that trust was misplaced in the case of at least seven newborns that we know of. Think about it. A newborn baby premature, lying there defenseless. Mom and dad have gone home. No one there to care for them except for the staff. And in the nicu, did an angel of pain stalk the halls, preying on defenseless infants? Listen.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Henrico county police Detective Megan lynch responds to Henrico Doctor's Hospital in reference to a five month old male in the NICU found to have a fractured left femur. When the child is examined further, it is determined he also has a fracture of the right tibia and multiple rib fractures. The detective is told the injuries are similar to injuries suffered by four males in the NICU in the of the previous year.

[Nancy Grace]

Oh my stars. There were other infants that had mysterious broken and fractured bones before and nobody did anything. Joining me, the father, Dominic Hacke is with us. Mr. Hacke, thank you for being with us.

[Dominic Hacke]

Thanks for having me.

[Nancy Grace]

When you first of all tell me how did you learn about the injuries?

[Dominic Hacke]

It was seemingly normal. Sunday, me and my wife walked into the NICU expecting for my wife to be able to do skin to skin with our son for the second time. And that's when we were told that a nurse had observed discoloration in his left leg. He wasn't moving it quite as much as the right one. So they had gotten an X ray and determined that he had a tibia fracture.

[Nancy Grace]

Mr. Hacke, when you learned oh my stars. I'm looking at the video you gave us. Control room, can I see that video again? This looks just like my John, David and Lucy when they were in nicu. They had all these cords, all these going in. Some of them, the tubes go in the nose and come out the foot. They are completely helpless. Dominique, when you learned your baby boy, your infant, your preemie had a fracture of the leg and that one of the legs wasn't moving, did you think someone had done that to your baby or that somehow this happened during childbirth?

[Dominic Hacke]

I knew it didn't happen during childbirth. My wife had an emergency C section like yourself. I watched every minute of that. I watched how he was pulled out. I watched everything after that. He wasn't pulled out by his legs. Nothing that in childbirth would have caused this. But it did take a minute for us to process what was happening. Our other son, Micah, was very, very sick. We were being told that we were going to lose him twice at that point, so. So we were just overwhelmed with emotions. We had talked to the doctor on staff that day. We weren't really given any answers onto how this happened. And honestly, after we were told what we were told and spoke to the doctors on staff, I told my wife, we need to leave, because I needed to take time outside of that hospital to process what was happening. And I had already, at that time, reached out to my mom, who was then texting me a million times back to back. This isn't right. You need to call child protective services. This shouldn't be happening. I don't feel safe with my grandson in there. So I needed to get out of the hospital, call her, and kind of get. Get my feet to where we needed to go next. So. So it was a lot in that moment to process.

[Nancy Grace]

Mr. Hacke, you stated they had already told you what, twice?

[Dominic Hacke]

That our son Michael was going to pass away just due to the complications with my wife's pregnancy. He had low fluid at 16 weeks, which caused him to have a lot of respiratory distress. So at that time, Micah was on a ventilator oscillator, hooked up to so many different machines. But Noah was our strong baby. He was perfect. From the moment that he came out, he needed very little respiratory help. So we had hope. He was our hope, I should say, because he came out so strong and. And nothing wrong with him. And, you know, we just wanted the same for our other son as well. So we were very heartbroken to learn that our healthy baby now is not healthy, and nobody can tell us why.

[Nancy Grace]

And when you talk to the doctor, Mr. Hacke, the doctor, did he. He. She avoid the fracture or did they try to say, hey, maybe it was this, maybe it was that, we don't know what happened, or did they just not talk about it?

[Dominic Hacke]

They initially told us that it could have been done from an INJ that was given, maybe too. Too rough or too hard. So they were going to implement some trainings so that the nurses could be able to give injections correctly. And that's kind of the only explanation that was given. And I want to make it perfectly clear. Bone density, vitamin deficiency, brittle bone syndrome was never, ever brought up in our case. It was never questioned. It was never. It was never a factor for us. So it's without a. Without a doubt that somebody at this hospital did it, because as soon as we were told that there was a fracture, I declined to hold him because I didn't want to be blamed for that. The first time I'm holding my son, you're telling me that he has a fracture. The day before we were at the hospital, my wife was not allowed to hold him. The day that we both come. Now that he has a fracture and we're aware of it now, we're allowed to hold him. It didn't seem right to me.

[Nancy Grace]

Mr. Hacke, they told me the same thing about Lucy, my baby girl. When I was still carrying her, one doctor told me I had to do selective termination. You know how crazy I went. Other doctors came running into the room. I was yelling so much. I was not going to selectively abort Lucy. Then they were born, and they told me that Lucy may not make it. It was horrible. Horrible. And what you're saying, John David, my son came out healthy, everything was fine, except very premature. Not Lucy. Mr. Hacke, joining me right now is a preeminent physician. It's Dr. William Maroney, renowned medical examiner, pathologist, author of American Narcan and so much more, who has dedicated his life to helping other people. And I'd like to point out specifically for you, Mr. Hacke, that he is a devoted father like yourself, Dr. Maroney. You know, I'm just a trial lawyer. Sometimes as a trial lawyer, and you're questioning a physician like yourself, you really don't even know where to start. But it's my understanding that injuries that occur during delivery are typically at the joint. And when I'm. Again, I'm just reading the tea leaves here, but when I look at that X ray, that doesn't look like the fracture is at the joint, does it?

[Dr. William Maroney]

No. And the idea of where injuries sometimes happen are statistically based on our past experience as hospitals record injuries. The only other dominant fracture, collarbones fracture all the time because a baby has to fit through the birth canal. And the shoulders and the neck and the chest are the widest part. Legs don't break in Delivery. I've never. 25 years, I've never heard of any kind of broken arm or leg in delivery. Collarbones or joint dislocations. The collarbone is the big one because you're trying to squeeze this wide baby through this tiny little birth canal. So that's the first thing you would look at and have as, where do you start your investigation? How did a fracture happen in that bone in a collarbone? Somebody would say, oh, well, you know, it's fractured, it'll grow back. We'll line it up. Everything will be okay. And you understand that because you're trying to squeeze the baby. But these other things, right away, they're very highly suspicious, and they need an investigation.

[Nancy Grace]

Crime stories with nancy grace. In the last days, a former nurse's plea deal has gone down. Catch this. The plea deal allows Strutman to be sentenced to no more than three years in prison. Oh, my goodness. She's going to be out by 29. She'll probably change her name, get fake credentials, go to another jurisdiction, become a nurse, and start abusing children again. And this was breaking their bones. The plea deal. What a deal. Ugh. Feel like I'm eating a dirt sandwich. Drops charges of malicious wounding, which would require evidence of intent. Okay, wait. She gets the baby, waits for a moment to be alone, and then breaks its bones. That shows intent. What were these prosecutors thinking? Dear Lord in heaven. Now, as part of this deal, she will never be able to practice nursing. Okay? No, she should be in jail or any health care related work again. But wait a minute. She can just go to another jurisdiction on the other side of the country, change her name. She'll be right back at it. This is what we know happened, Mr. Hackey. I had an emergency cesarean, just like your wife did, and I was awake the whole time. I could see the baby's being lifted up. And it's just like you just said. They weren't pulled out by their legs or by, you know, in a normal birth, the head normally comes out first. They were lifted up, and I saw John David come out first. I saw Lucy come out second. And I was told they're breathing, and they were looking at me and blinking their eyes. I remember distinctly. And when you tell me they were not pulled out by their legs, I believe you. That's something you never forget. When your wife learned that her baby, her newborn, how much did they weigh? Four pounds.

[Dominic Hacke]

Noah was three pounds, eight ounces. And Micah was two pounds, eight ounces.

[Nancy Grace]

John David was five pounds. Lucy was two Pounds like a kitten, for Pete's sake. When your wife found out this four pound baby had a fractured leg, how did your wife take it?

[Dominic Hacke]

She. I don't think she could process it at that moment. Honestly, she was dealing with, like I said, it was an end to a long, very long pregnancy, which actually wasn't very long, but it felt long. We were going to ultrasounds once a week, sometimes twice a week. So she was very much out of it, which is why she's kind of letting me speak, because I remember it so clearly. She was dealing with postpartum at that time as well, so all that she really could do was cry. And all that I could do was just tell my wife that our boys are gonna be okay. That's all we could do.

[Nancy Grace]

I don't know how you guys managed to leave them there. I mean, you couldn't take them home. They needed to be hooked up to all those machines. So you couldn't say, to hell with you, I'm taking the children home. You had to leave them there. Oh, how did you do it? How did you leave your child there knowing? I mean, think about it. I'm sure you have. Somebody had to take your little baby's leg and crack it.

[Dominic Hacke]

I guess it was the hospital gaslit us into thinking that this was an isolated incident, that they were really working to figure out who did this. And at that point, we kind of had to trust the hospital because me and my wife, we were very blessed with the type of jobs that we have. We were able to be at the hospital all day, every day. We just couldn't be there at night because we have animals at home and. And stuff at home that we have to attend to. But, I mean, we just had to trust them. And with us at that time only thinking that, you know, this was just our son, it could have been an injection that was given wrong. They're going to train people so that they get this right. It was like at that time, it felt like the hospital was doing what they were supposed to do, even though they were telling us that we may never find the person who did this, because unless somebody confesses, it's going to be hard to say that this person actually did it.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Some of these premature babies are so sick, their little organs are not developed enough to be functioning outside the womb yet. And we are basically assisting them by artificial means. So we do see death in the nicu. We see a lot of children who have issues with their lungs, with their heart, with their vision. So any instance where something happens that is Unexpected. We're going to watch and try and see what happened.

[Nancy Grace]

But all of that problems with the lungs or the heart or with the vision, those occur or originate prior to birth. This newborn infant child, this little baby boy, was born without a fracture in his leg. So how did that happen to Dr. William Moroney? I know that infants bones are malleable, but to fracture or break a baby's bone, it had to hurt. It had to be horrific pain for the child to endure. And even though the bones are somewhat malleable, at the time of birth, they're still bones. How much force would you have to affect in order to break or fracture a child's leg?

[Dr. William Maroney]

Probably just about a little bit less than like trying to break a broomstick or more than break some pasta.

[Nancy Grace]

Wait, wait, wait. Break a broomstick with your bare hands? I can break a broomstick with my bare hands even though I cracked it over my knee? No.

[Dr. William Maroney]

Yes.

[Nancy Grace]

What are you saying?

[Dr. William Maroney]

But the other. What I want to make clear is the rare condition that a baby is born with broken bones only happens when the mother is in a car accident. If these mothers do not have any history of being in recent, like right before the hospital car accidents, all these bones are perfect. All these babies are born with completely healthy bodies. But we have seen broken bones in babies after they've been delivered, in emergency deliveries when the mother's had car accidents.

[Nancy Grace]

Mr. Hacke, had your wife. I already know the answer to this. Your wife had not been in any type of an accident, had she?

[Dominic Hacke]

No.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay. Dr. Maroney, I hate to call a medical doctor of your eminence on the carpet, but that's really not what I asked you. I didn't ask you about car wrecks because there's no car wreck or no accident, nothing like that, no violent injury on the mom prior to birth. I'm asking you the degree of force. You're telling me a little less or the same amount as trying to crack a broom over your knee?

[Dr. William Maroney]

The physical amount of force would equal something hitting a wall at 20 miles an hour. And the other thing. Here's what I would really worry about.

[Nancy Grace]

Baby, how can you be so calm? Maroney, how many children do you have, for Pete's sake? Don't you remember when they were born, someone using that amount of force, like cracking a broomstick to break fracture this baby's leg?

[Dr. William Maroney]

And I don't want to make pictures in people's minds that would them even more disgusted. But broken ribs are very difficult. You either crush a baby's chest or you Swing the baby like a baseball bat and hit a wall. Those are how you break ribs. I've done depositions for child abuse in local counties. That's a tremendous amount of force. So broken bones in the chest, broken legs. This is serious.

[Nancy Grace]

Dominic Hacke, I know you're hearing Dr. Maroney speaking. When you hear him describe how much force it would require to break your newborn's leg to fracture it. I mean, I feel sick just hearing it. When you think about your infant and the force required, like swinging the infant against a wall or breaking their leg.

[Dominic Hacke]

Like a broom handle, it hurts. It's heartbreaking. It. Honestly, it feels like my son was in this world for a week and I failed to protect him. And it keeps me up at night. But I won't fail my son again. I won't fail these other babies again. What they've been through and all that they had to endure is sick. That we were in the room with the devil and we had no idea.

[Nancy Grace]

Guys, it all starts here. Listen.

[Narrator/Reporter]

An infant in the NICU at Enrico Doctors Hospital suffers a horrible leg injury that isn't easily explained. Babies break bones during birth. It's not uncommon. But this is different. As the hospital begins to investigate, three other babies have unexplained fractures.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, let me understand something. Joining me, DaveMack, crimeonline.com investigative reporter who has intensely researched this case and conducted his own interviews, Dave Mack. Wait a minute. So when this little baby, Mr. Hackney's.

[Dominic Hacke]

Baby.

[Nancy Grace]

Has a fractured leg. Before that, there were already three other babies that had, quote, unexplained fractures?

[Dr. William Maroney]

Yes, Nancy, there were four babies in this at the. In the time around Mr. Hackney's child that all had unexplained fractures. One of the babies was actually hurt four days after Mr. Hackney's baby.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, I am actually without words, Dave Mack. I didn't understand the events chronologically. Mr. Hackney, did anybody tell you, oh, by the way, we've already had multiple babies that have unexplained fractures. When they were telling you your baby somehow has a broken leg, did they think to say, and, oh, yeah, there were three babies before, and then right after that, there's another baby? Did anybody tell you that? I guess not.

[Dominic Hacke]

Nobody told us until after we were out of the hospital. Henrico Police Department told us that there were other victims that suffered similar fractures around the same time as my son. And that's when we first learned about it.

[Nancy Grace]

The police department had to tell you that. Let me ask you a question, okay? I'm a criminal lawyer, but I know this much about civil law. I hope you and your wife have a good lawyer. So at no point when the doctor is explaining to you your baby has a fractured leg and it took the forces Maroney just said of cracking a broomstick to do it, they didn't say. And we've had that problem before. They hid that from you until police told you that. You had no idea. There is no way hell would freeze over before I would have my children in a NICU unit where other babies had had fractured bones. Oh, no. But you didn't know that, did you?

[Dominic Hacke]

No idea. Nobody. None of the other families knew as well. We all thought that we were isolated incidents. And honestly, that's why a lot of us kept quiet for so long. We didn't know that there were other people out there who went through similar experiences with that hospital.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Dominique and Tori Hackey start speaking out after Virginia Child Services informed them that their newborn baby, Noah had been abused by an employee at the NICU when he suffered a fractured leg following his premature birth.

[Greg Morse]

Noah was one of the four babies.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Who suffered unexplained injuries.

[Nancy Grace]

This would not be the first time. And of course, you know, Dominic Hackey was looked at long and hard because parents of an injured or missing child are always the first suspect. Statistically, he could be the Angel Gabriel that came down from heaven and sat down in front of police. He would still be the number one suspect. Statistically, again, it's not the first time that a hospital employee has inflicted pain, suffering, even death on an innocent newborn. Does the name Lucy Let be ring a bell? Because that's a name that echoes in my mind all the time.

[Dominic Hacke]

Time.

[Nancy Grace]

Listen.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Registered nurse Lucy Lepy gets her dream job in the neonatology unit at Countess of Chester Hospital, working many extra shifts in the small unit. Letby says she enjoys watching the infants progress and supporting their families. But patients under her care experience an unusual amount of medical emergencies and even death. After years of other doctors and nurses expressing their concerns, the hospital. The hospital finally launches an investigation, finding that seven babies were injured and seven babies died under Letby's care. Handwritten notes indicate the nurse injected air into the infant's bloodstream or gave them lethal doses of insulin minutes before consoling their grieving parents.

[Nancy Grace]

Oh, my stars. Okay, Dr. Maroney, I gotta ask you what that means. Injecting air or insulin. But to Dr. John de la Torre. And we all need a shrink right now. Licensed psychologist who specializes in forensic psychology. Dr. De la Torre, did you hear that last bit about Lucy? Let be May she rot in hell. She would console the parents who are grieving after their newborn infant, just like Mr. Hackney's babies die. So she kills them and then she comforts the parents. That is freaky.

[Dr. William Maroney]

Yeah, it's absolutely freaky.

[Greg Morse]

And it's. It's extremely dangerous. And I think there are two complicating aspects to this. The first part is she wants the attention that she gets for being this grand nurse who's there to console. But in reality, she hates these children. In reality, she wants nothing more than to be. Than to get rid of them. That's the level of anger and animosity.

[Dr. William Maroney]

That need to be there in order.

[Greg Morse]

To inflict pain on a vulnerable child. This level of hate and anger and annoyance is complicating this idea that she also wants the attention of being the person that is there to care for them. And it's the attention that she really wants. But in reality, she hates that she has to deal with these children in order to get it.

[Nancy Grace]

We investigated the Lucy Letby case. Listen to investigative reporter Alexis Torres. Chuck.

[Narrator/Reporter]

First time, it was a tragedy, but immediately the way that she reacted was a red flag. She wanted to come back to work immediately while everybody else was devastated and crushed by this. Each time a child died, each time a baby died and she was there, she wanted to come back to work and insisted on, remember, many of them were twins or triplets, and she wanted to work with the other sibling immediately. And that really raised a red flag. So the doctors and the nurses really complained about her and said, this is really very, very suspicious.

[Nancy Grace]

You think it's weird that she would console the parents after killing their newborn? That's not all. Listen.

[Narrator/Reporter]

After the death of a fifth baby on her unit, Lucy Letby wants to go to the funeral, but is working at the time and unable to attend. So she sends a condolence card to the family titled, your loved one will be remembered with many smiles. Inside, Leppy wrote, there are no words to make this time any easier. She will always be a part of your lives, and we will never forget her thinking of you today and always. Lots of love, Lucy. Leppy then took a picture of the card and kept it as a keepsake.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, Dominic Hacke is joining us. His twins were in the NICU when he and his wife learn after very difficult pregnancy and delivery and emergency C section, that, astonishingly, one of their babies has a fractured leg. Out of nowhere, you're hearing about Lucy Letby, who would murder the infants and then console the parents and help them plan the funeral. Did any of the nurses seem odd or act in an unusual way to you or to your wife?

[Dominic Hacke]

None of the nurses really talked to me. There were very few of them. A lot of them talked to my wife and directed a lot of care questions to my wife. It was almost as if I was incapable of making decisions or for my kids and that she was the only capable one. So I didn't form a lot of relationships with a lot of the nurses.

[Nancy Grace]

Well, they probably suspected you, frankly, Mr. Hacke. They probably thought you were responsible because all the nurses think they know each other and they would never do anything to hurt a baby. And the dad or the mom is typically the perp. So no wonder they gave you the cold shoulder. They probably gave you the stink eye.

[Dominic Hacke]

Yeah, I'm sure once they learned, because I was very open with my mom reporting the incident to Child Protective Services and things like that, that they. They were very cautious around them.

[Nancy Grace]

Crime stories with nancy grace. Anicu, Neonatal intensive Care Unit nurse accused of breaking the bones of newborn babies gets a sweetheart deal. I don't get it. It's on video. Video footage shown to the court. Strautman appearing to place her full body weight on one infant who was screaming out in pain. Gah. Strotman said of the video. It can be, quote, perceived as a little too rough. You broke their bones a little too rough? My rear end. This woman needs to go straight to hell and share her stories with Beelzebub and Satan. Instead, she's going to be out, I guarantee you, in less than two years. This is what we know about what happened to these little newborn babies.

[Narrator/Reporter]

NICU nightmare. A nurse under arrest for allegedly breaking the bones of premature infants in a Virginia hospital.

[Nancy Grace]

That's right after they let the four nurses come back because their own investigation went nowhere. That's on them. There were more fractures. Wow, what a coincidence. Then we learn this from surveillance video placed in the hospital room. Listen.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The hospital installed surveillance cameras throughout the NICU after the unexplained injuries of the previous year. Henrico County Police Station Detective Megan lynch reviews the surveillance video and reports what she sees. Aaron Strautman seen in the room with baby, identified in paperwork as YH. On November 10, Strautman grabs YH by the legs and applies pressure to the legs. Strotman is seen on video placing her weight down on the legs of yh. Strautman is then seen taking both of the baby's legs and pushing them backwards to where YH's feet are at his head. YH appears to be crying and in distress.

[Nancy Grace]

Oh, my stars. The baby's feet are back at his head. Mr. Hackey, have you seen this video?

[Dominic Hacke]

No, I haven't seen any videos.

[Nancy Grace]

I guarantee you, when you get the right lawyer, you will. So, Mr. Hacke, when were you told that the perpetrator was caught on video?

[Dominic Hacke]

I want to say maybe a couple weeks ago, towards the beginning of the year. We. By the time we left the hospital, there were no cameras. We were in there for 87 days. So if they ever put in cameras, we didn't know until these new stories came out. And when I learned of the three babies, that's when I learned of that there was camera footage. Didn't specifically say that they caught her on camera footage, but at that time, but learned that there was camera footage and that the police department, the commonwealth attorney, everybody was going to be working to review this footage around the clock. And then, of course, once she was arrested is when we learned that, you know, they had caught her own footage. They. Nobody told us. Doing what with whose baby? Just that she was being brought up on charges in connection with this. And, you know, we'll just keep finding out along the way.

[Nancy Grace]

So the hospital never told you we've got her on video. You had to learn that from the district attorney's office. Dr. William Maroney, you heard what we have learned was on the video. What exactly does that mean? What did she do to the baby? According to the video, what it looks.

[Dr. William Maroney]

Like is there's pressure to snap a leg by pushing it outside of what we call barriers. There's natural barriers that the muscles can.

[Nancy Grace]

Use, then there's artificial barriers. Stop, Dr. Moroney, you're talking to lay people. We don't know. What are you saying? Pressure, barriers.

[Dr. William Maroney]

What?

[Nancy Grace]

Please speak English.

[Dr. William Maroney]

Here's. We'll go back to when you. When you put weight on that leg to snap that bone, it's equal to a vehicle hitting a wall at 20 miles an hour. But it happens in somebody's hands.

[Nancy Grace]

But how does she do it? What do you mean? Put weight? How does that happen?

[Dr. William Maroney]

Well, they said in the words that were used, she pushed down that her body weight, her shoulders, her muscles, pushed on a bone, on legs. On one instance, and then exceeding the normal range of hips and backs and legs, she twisted the legs so far back that a baby that's a flat piece of pasta, it's a noodle, suddenly becomes an elbow. That's unnatural. The body. Even adults, children, they don't bend like that. When you bend something like that something breaks. They're very lucky. We don't know the results, but that could have snapped somebody's spine and made somebody permanently paralyzed for life. That's the amount of pressure. 20 miles an hour a car hitting a fence, 20 miles an hour a car hitting a brick wall. That's the amount of force and weight from what was done to those babies.

[Nancy Grace]

Bone to Mary HUTCHINSON Joining us, 28 years in LE law enforcement, now owner, chief investigator for Barry and Associates Investigative Services. Barry, thank you for being with us. What the H E double L is wrong with this hospital? Their investigation yielded nothing. And then as soon as the foreign nurses then put on paid leave, I might add, this woman charged with breaking the bones of little NICU infants that weigh four pounds. She is on paid leave. Are you kidding me? But their investigation yielded nothing. Are you surprised that the hospital found out nothing while investigating itself?

[Dominic Hacke]

No, that's pretty much common practice. They're going to do everything they can to shield their own liability. And I mean, that's a travesty. And it's itself. That's another story to be told. But there's no way that you could ever, ever convince me that there wasn't already surveillance in place in that NICU in some shape, form or fashion. Not to mention that there are other cameras all throughout that hospital, like in adjacent hallways, etc. Etc. That they could track each one of these individual nurses and find out exactly a timeline of who was around the child and when they were around the child.

[Nancy Grace]

You know what, you're absolutely right. They had all that in the records. Who was working the day before the injury manifested, who was working in the day of the injury. That shouldn't be so difficult to uncover yet they didn't. To Greg Morse joining me, high profile lawyer and partner, the law firm of King and Morse, author of the untested on Amazon, Greg Morse, I'm sorry to report I'm not surprised at all. You heard Dominic Hackett, the dad, saying the doctor never even explained to us really exactly what had happened, didn't mention that employee may have done this. Nobody told me that other infants before my baby Noah was attacked, had been attacked. I'm not surprised at all. The hospital didn't tell him any of that and didn't tell him, hey, we have surveillance video. I want you to know we know who did it. Never breathe a word, Greg.

[Greg Morse]

Well, that's the bigger or an issue here also is the hospital's cover up. And what's particularly troubling to me is that they questioned these parents as you pointed out, they're the first suspects. There is no world where the hospital doesn't know this is going on with all these babies. And they're, like your previous expert said, they're trying to shield their liability. And that's really. That's. That's really, you know, a comment on our healthcare. We. We value profits over care. And this is what you get. You. You talked about your own children, Nancy. Imagine a doctor says to you, well, when we give needles, sometimes bones break. There's no world where anybody believes that. There's no world where that's not investigated. But if the people investigating are sweeping it under the rug, then what do you do? And it's. It's heartbreaking for these families what they've had to endure and then to be a suspect, essentially by the hospital administrator, so they could hide their own malfeasance and their own negligence and turning a blind eye to these things.

[Nancy Grace]

Seven potential abuse cases are now under.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Scrutiny, and investigators say there could be more.

[Nancy Grace]

Police investigators are scouring hundreds of hours of surveillance footage to determine what happened.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Reports say at least three of the affected families were in court for Strautman's appearance.

[Nancy Grace]

Only one family has spoken publicly so far, and that father says another couple told him their child suffered 12 fractures. Strotman has been formally charged in just.

[Narrator/Reporter]

One baby's case as the investigation continues. Strautman's public defender says she has not entered a plea as yet and is being held without Bailey. Her next court appearance is scheduled for March 24th.

[Nancy Grace]

Mr. Hacke, is that true? Another baby had 12 fractures?

[Dominic Hacke]

I hate to say it, but yes.

[Nancy Grace]

Have you talked to any of the other parents?

[Dominic Hacke]

Yes. I'm currently in contact with five of the other families, so six families, including myself. It's worked wonders for myself and the other families just to have other people who have gone through this situation who have been gaslit by the hospital, whose birthing stories are similar to our story. And we just all feel like we were failed from the moment we stepped foot in that hospital to the moment that we left, because we had no idea that anybody had even been let go in relation to our son's cases until the news put it out there this year.

[Nancy Grace]

Mr. Hackers, I want to thank you for speaking out. There are parents all over the country whose children suffer injuries or worse in the hospital, and they are fed the line. It's normal. We don't know how this happened. It's not normal. Mr. Hacke, have you ever lain awake at night and thought about how lucky you are she didn't kill your baby.

[Dominic Hacke]

Every night ever since all of the details of this story were learned, because, like I said, I'm just learning of the severity of the other cases. So I'm. I'm very blessed that I'm able to come home and hold my two. My two little babies, kiss them, hold my wife, hug her, and we can sit down as a family and attack this monster head on. All of us together, and everybody is healthy and happy. And I'm just truly blessed that my outcome and my situation did not end in death.

[Nancy Grace]

Clock is ticking on when Strotman will be released. Bolo, be on the lookout. Nancy Grace signing off. Goodbye, friend.