Ep.2: The Angel of Death

Summary

Mind of a Monster: The Killer Nurse

Episode 2: The Angel of Death

Date: September 30, 2025
Host: Dr. Michelle Ward
Featured Guests: William Welch (former Mass. State Attorney), Christine Duquette (victim's family), Dr. Greg Blackman (VA physician), others

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Overview

This episode investigates Kristen Gilbert’s early nursing career at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Northampton, Massachusetts, and examines her transformation from a respected nurse and mother into a prolific serial killer – the so-called “Angel of Death.” Through interviews with former colleagues, law enforcement, victim’s families, and hospital staff, Dr. Michelle Ward unpacks Gilbert’s manipulation, her rising death toll, and the systemic failures that allowed her to continue her crimes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Kristen Gilbert’s Tenure at VAMC

• Setting the Scene: August 21, 1995. Korean War veteran Stanley Jagadowski, 66, dies after Gilbert is seen entering his room with a syringe. His cries, “Stop it. Stop. You’re killing me,” (02:14) are heard by staff, and his heart fails soon after.
• Background: Gilbert, married with two children, starts at the VAMC in 1989. Staff describe the hospital as “sleepy,” close-knit, and catering to veterans from multiple wars (World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War).

2. Kristen’s Public Persona versus Private Behavior

• Colleagues’ View: Initially seen as a model employee, well-liked:
  “She was befriended by everybody. Had that veneer of soccer mom, baked cupcakes...someone who began to blend into the fabric of Ward C.” – William Welch (05:30)
• Her Role: Efficient in emergencies, skilled with medications, but more interested in technical tasks than bedside care.
  • Melody Turner (nurse manager): “Kristen was more interested in the task-type responsibilities rather than providing direct bedside care.” (06:55)

3. Sharp Rise in Medical Emergencies and Deaths

• Anomalies Noticed:
  • Spike in “emergency codes” and deaths tracking Gilbert’s shifts.
  • Gilbert alone activated 72 emergency alarms, compared to 70 for all other nurses combined (08:35).
  • Staff nicknamed her “The Angel of Death.”
• Gilbert's Rationalization:
  “She would discount it by simply, you know, saying that she was an excellent nurse...Her save rate was about 50%.” – William Welch (09:42)

4. Early Suspicions and First Investigations

• Doctors’ Concerns: At least one doctor requested Gilbert be kept off his patients after an inexplicably stable patient died under her care (10:23–12:13).
• Hospital Limitations: Underlying illness among veterans made cause of death difficult to challenge.

5. The Death of Stanley Jagadowski

• Last Moments: Nursing assistant witnesses Gilbert fleeing after Jagadowski yells in pain – “Stop! It’s burning me! It hurts!” (12:36–14:16)
• Hierarchy Issues:
  • Assistants hesitant to report suspicions about a respected RN.
  • Assistant: “How do I point the finger at someone where I don’t think anyone’s going to have my back, perhaps.” (14:23)

6. Kristen's Escalating Boldness

• Pattern: Victim Stanley Jagadowski believed to be one of the last in a long line, with Gilbert’s crimes growing brazen over time.
  • “She became emboldened by not being caught...they get cocky and sloppy.” – Dr. Michelle Ward (16:04)

7. Changes in Personal Life & Onset of Affair

• Transformation:
  • Dramatic weight loss, flamboyant appearance, increased partying post-midnight (18:29–21:25).
• Affair with James (Jim) Perrault:
  • “We got to her vehicle and we kissed.” – Jim Perrault (21:49)
  • Flirtations at work, sometimes during patient emergencies.

8. Disturbing Behavior During Codes

• Flirtation & Exhibitionism:
  • Kristen and Jim would flirt openly during codes (22:33–23:43).
  • Witness reports Kristen “straddled” a patient during chest compressions, skirt riding up – “her skirt went up high, and you could see that she had a garter belt on.” (23:43)
• Staff Reaction:
  “Why is she getting so worked up about these codes in terms of the self gratification?” – William Welch (24:01)

9. Home Life Crumbles & Husband’s Suspicious Illness

• Poisoning Suspicion:
  • Husband Glenn reports suspicious-tasting food, unexplained hospitalization for low potassium and glucose.
  • Kristen allegedly tried to inject him under pretense of a blood test:
    “He described this sensation that quickly traveled up his arm and then said it hit his heart like a fist...waking up on the floor of their bathroom.” (25:56–28:27)

10. Victim Spotlight: Henry Houdon

• Background: Henry Houdon, Air Force veteran with psychological issues from a severe traumatic brain injury (34:03–37:22).
• Fear of the Ward:
  “People have been dying around here more lately than ever. I don’t want to stay here. ... Mom, I seriously, I don’t want to die.” – Henry Houdon, via sister Christine Duquette (38:12)

11. The Night of Henry’s Death

• Multiple Cardiac Arrests:
  • Admitted for “overdose”; scheduled to stay overnight.
  • Kristen calls a series of four emergency codes (39:50–44:39).
  • Onlookers disturbed by Kristen’s apparent excitement and flirtation with Jim during each episode.
  • Ultimately, Henry dies after a fourth code; family learns by phone (45:29–47:01).

12. Hospital & Staff Reactions

• Coldness: Kristen curtly ends a condolence call with Henry’s mother:
  “I’ve just come on duty and I have to go.” – Dr. Michelle Ward (48:50)
• Bedside Manner Criticized: Chronic lack of empathy noted in her evaluations (49:00).
• Autopsy: “Cannot find...a clear cause of death.” (50:00)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Stanley Jagadowski’s Last Words:
  “Stop it. Stop. You’re killing me.” (02:14)
• William Welch, on staff culture:
  “It was a very close-knit group...very much a sleepy environment.” (05:02)
• On Kristen’s public image:
  “Had that veneer of soccer mom…baked cupcakes for individuals.” – William Welch (05:30)
• On the spike in emergency codes:
  “Kristin activates the emergency alarm 72 times, compared to 70 for all other nurses combined.” (08:35)
• Henry’s plea:
  “People have been dying around here more lately than ever. I don’t want to stay here…Mom, I seriously, I don’t want to die.” – Henry Houdon (38:12)
• Dr. Greg Blackman recounts being unsettled by Kristen’s remark:
  “We got him back and he’s awake. And [Kristen] looks at me, goes, ‘I wouldn’t be so happy.’” (42:08)
• Christine Duquette’s pain:
  “I know. My brother did not have any kind of heart problem...Just the psych issues. That’s it.” (47:01)
• Michelle Ward, on Kristen’s empathy:
  “Here it says in late 1995...she consistently fails to improve upon what I would argue is the most crucial aspect of nursing, and that’s genuine care.” (49:00)

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Timeline of Important Segments (Timestamps)

• Stanley Jagadowski’s death recounted: 02:14–03:54
• Staff bond and Kristen’s image: 05:02–06:00
• Death rate and codes spike: 08:35–09:32
• Doctor removes Kristen from patients: 10:23–12:13
• Eyewitness to Stanley’s death and hospital hierarchy: 12:36–14:23
• Kristen’s emboldened behavior as a serial killer: 15:27–16:04
• Appearance changes and affair begins: 18:29–21:25
• Openly flirtatious and exhibitionist code behavior: 22:33–24:01
• Attempted poisoning of husband Glenn: 25:30–28:27
• Profile and fate of Henry Houdon: 29:14–37:22
• Henry’s warnings and death sequence: 38:12–44:39
• Family’s grief and hospital response: 45:29–48:50
• Staff evaluations and Henry’s autopsy: 49:00–50:00

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Tone & Language

The speakers oscillate between analytical detachment (from Dr. Michelle Ward and William Welch), clinical description (from doctors), and raw emotion (from family members like Christine Duquette). The overall tone is tense, investigative, and often somber, especially when discussing victims’ personal stories or systemic oversights that enabled Kristen Gilbert’s crimes.

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Final Reflections

This episode exposes the dualities in Kristen Gilbert’s public persona and private atrocities—highlighting how even the most trusted caregivers can be adept manipulators. The episode concludes with the promise to delve into “a whole new level of horror” in Gilbert’s escalating crimes, suggesting new revelations and deeper psychological insights to come.

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Next Episode Teaser:

• Focus on Kristen’s unusual motivations and rising suspicion among colleagues.

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For those who haven’t listened:
This episode is a chilling, methodical exploration of how Kristen Gilbert deceived her colleagues and murdered veterans under the guise of caring for them—leveraging the trust inherent in her profession, with lives tragically lost as a result.

Transcript

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

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[Christine Duquette]

She started telling people that she was.

[William Welch]

Related to Lizzie Borden. It's like saying, you know, I'm related to Charles Manson. She began to stalk him and engage in other forms of harassment which, as we understand it, culminated in her loosening the lug nuts on one of the tires of his car.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

I think her first victim was the disabled boy from ID and Aeromedia. I'm criminal psychologist Dr. Michelle Ward and this is Mind of a Monster the killer nurse Chapter 2 the angel of Death It's August 21, 1995 at the Veterans Affairs Medical center in Northampton, Massachusetts. After 8pm A 27 year old nurse, Kristin Gilbert is seen entering the room of 66 year old Korean War veteran Stanley Jagadowski. She's holding a syringe and a cotton swab. From the hallway, two hospital workers hear Stanley Jagadowski yell, stop it. Stop. You're killing me. The nurse glides away and within minutes, the patient's heart skyrockets. A code is called the signal for immediate aid for a patient in critical condition, and an emergency team, including Kristen Gilbert, descends. The team manages to briefly stabilize Stanley, but his heart fails and the veteran dies. By 1988, Kristen is married to Glenn Gilbert and has graduated from nursing college. She begins her nursing career at Bay State Medical center before switching in 1989 to Veterans Affairs Medical center, or VAMC for short, in Northampton, Massachusetts. Detective Lieutenant Tom Soutier is from the area and knows the hospital well.

[Christine Duquette]

The Veterans Administration Hospital is located in.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

A village of the city of Northampton, which is the village of Leeds. It is located on a hillside surrounded.

[Christine Duquette]

By trees and just very park like.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

In its location, probably many acres. I believe that it's the oldest VA.

[William Welch]

Hospital in the country and it had shrunken in size as far as the amount of buildings they had.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

VAMCs were and are designed to give proper respect, care and first class treatment to the people who have risked life and limb for the safety of America. War veterans in the 1990s, this included veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War, among others. Reminders of its military focus are found in glass case displays all around the building of Marine, airborne and infantry patches. With her family's military background, it's a logical fit for Kristen. William Welch was the Massachusetts State attorney in the 1990s.

[William Welch]

It was a bit of a sleepy environment. There were not major crises that happened on a daily basis. And so therefore, you know, people got to know each other. The staff, I think was fairly close. They would celebrate anniversaries and birthdays together. I think they would commiserate over divorces. And so it was a very close knit group of people that worked there.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

And did Kristen get along well with her colleagues?

[William Welch]

And she got along very well. So when she first began working at the VA Medical center, she started off on Ward C, was, was befriended by everybody. Had that veneer of soccer mom, you know, baked cupcakes for individuals and brought them in. Had two children while she was working at the VA Medical Center. Would go out regularly on Wednesdays with coworkers. So she was someone who began to blend into the fabric of Ward C.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

How was that ward managed? Who was in charge?

[William Welch]

Each shift would have a charge nurse and it was usually someone with more senior experience. And then overall there was a nurse manager who really was responsible for all three shifts. So that was someone who, you know, would ensure there was proper staffing, people were coming late or calling in sick, would be the one to find out more information and perhaps reprimand them if she felt they were slacking off. But it seemed to be a ward where, you know, things were run smoothly. Everyone seemed dedicated to the mission.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Early proficiency reports point to Kristen's skill in medical emergencies and knowledge of medicine. Melody Turner is the nurse manager.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

She was a very bright young nurse who knew nursing, knew the nursing process, knew medications, knew, you know, had clinical knowledge. I felt that Kristen was more interested in the task type of responsibilities rather than providing direct bedside care.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

But there is something strange about Ward C. From the moment Kristen Gilbert arrives, the death rate starts to shoot up.

[William Welch]

As people got to know Kristen, I think they very much respected her knowledge of nursing and her knowledge of medicines. And in fact, that was one of the things that she was very proud of. And she made it abundantly clear to her coworkers that, as some of them would say, she thought she was probably a better nurse and more knowledgeable about medicines than anybody else, even some of the doctors.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

So it's interesting, it can be perceived as somebody who truly cares about the well being of the patient. However, we know that's not really Kristin.

[William Welch]

Correct. So when she first got there in, I believe it was 1989, she started off on the night shift and that would be the midnight to 8am shift. And then she spent the last years of her tenure on the evening shift, which was the 4 to 12 shift. And she moved to the evening shift because of, you know, the two young children now she had in her family. But the one thing that was remarkable about this, when you step away, is deaths seem to follow Kristen Gilbert, no matter what shift she worked on.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Her colleagues begin to comment. In fact, it's not just the deaths that are increasing. There's also a huge rise in the number of emergency codes being called across this period. Kristin activates the emergency alarm 72 times, compared to a total of 70 for all of the other nurses combined. Would you explain to us what an emergency code means?

[William Welch]

Yeah. So really in any hospital, but at the VA Medical center, they would call a code red when someone was in a medical emergency. And what I mean by that is, you know, either a cardiac event or perhaps a very serious breathing event, there would be a designated code team. They would immediately respond to wherever the incident was and then begin the appropriate emergency resuscitation efforts. And, you know, obviously Kristin was one of the individuals on the code team.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

She was named the angel of Death. By her colleagues. What was her reaction to understanding that they were now onto her?

[William Welch]

She would discount it by simply, you know, saying that she was an excellent nurse, discovered these patients in distress, and was quite proud of the fact that when she did find people in these medical emergencies, her save rate was about 50%. And if you look at medical literature, you know, the survival rate on codes is generally around 10%, 15%, all of which is dependent upon the time of discovery. So she happened to be in the right place at the right time and was able to, as she said, save 50% of the victims.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

One doctor asked to have Kristen removed from the care of his patients. To me, that's astonishing.

[William Welch]

Yeah, Essentially it was a doctor who had spent a considerable amount of time essentially getting a patient back to a level of stability. So when he had left for his shift, the patient was in stable condition and as I recall, stated after the fact that there was no reason for the patient to lapse into a medical emergency when he left. The VA Medical center had visiting doctors and they particularly would staff the ward C on the evening shifts. So you may have a doctor who sees a patient on day one, but may not come back until day three or day four. So my memory as it related to this incident was when the doctor came back several days after for his next shift, he was shocked that his patient had gone into a medical emergency and had died. And when he looked at the chart, he saw that Kristen Gilbert had taken over for the care of the patient after he left and was just flabbergasted that this happened and couldn't understand how it could have happened. And that's what caused him to say, I don't want her taking care of any more of my patients. My memory is it got reported up the chain and it got reviewed. But with many of the patients, they all had some sort of underlying medical condition. And I think without the benefit of hindsight, it was difficult for people to really parse out what would be expected versus what would have been unexpected.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

That makes tremendous sense. It's not like you're dealing with a healthy population. It's August 1995 and 66 year old Korean war veteran Stanley Jagadowski has been admitted to the VA Medical Center, Northampton. He has acute health issues, but he is in no way terminal. William Welch.

[William Welch]

So Stanley Jagadowski, as I recall, was an army veteran. He was in the hospital at the VA Medical center really to help with a breathing condition. So he was in distress a couple of days before and as is typical, they begin to kind of get his body weight down and he becomes much more stable. On this particular day and night, a nursing assistant had gone in, had checked on his condition, found him to be stable, was able to have a conversation with him. Kind of what you would expect of a patient who was recovering and resting. And then the next thing that was reported, and to the nursing assistant's credit, she had a very good memory of this. Suddenly, Stanley Jagadowski began to scream out, stop. Stop. It's burning me. It hurts. Anyway, when the nursing assistant sort of looked down the hallway, she saw Kristen Gilbert running out of the room, described how she was wearing kind of Birkenstock type sandals and actually skidded as she was running out of the room, because she was running out of it so, so fast, and then headed into, I think, up the hallway. But, you know, obviously away from a patient who was in distress, a code was called. Kristen Gilbert responded to the code like everybody else. And Stanley Jagadowski ultimately died because of his weakened condition.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Obviously, that nursing assistant must have suspected Kristen at that point. Did anyone else?

[William Welch]

Yeah, I mean, the nursing assistant definitely told us that it was incredibly odd. It was like totally contrary to what you would expect a nurse to do. She wouldn't run away from a patient in distress. She would respond to a patient in distress. But then again, this particular nursing assistant was a nursing assistant, and in the hierarchy, she's at the bottom of the rung, and the registered nurses are at the top of the rung. And then to that, she would be talking about an individual who was well regarded on the ward, was a soccer mom, was someone who was friendly with most of the staff, and it puts them in that very uncomfortable position of how do I point the finger at someone where I don't think anyone's going to have my back, perhaps.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Was Stanley the first of Kristen's death? Do we think that, or do you think he was somewhere in the middle of her bevy of bodies?

[William Welch]

Yeah, I think he was at the tail end of her bevy of bodies. So I think she started doing this in 1989, 1990, probably did it at a much slower pace. And that would be based on the statistical evidence and the review of the data that related to the codes following her from shift to shift to shift. But I think he was the first, what I would call most outrageous episode where I think she began to get, in her mind, uncatchable.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

It's so true. I mean, in that way, she follows the pattern of every serial killer, of they become more brazen as they become emboldened by not being caught and she's doing what they all do, they get cocky and sloppy.

[Christine Duquette]

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[Dr. Michelle Ward]

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[William Welch]

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[Dr. Michelle Ward]

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[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Dr. Michelle Ward]

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[William Welch]

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[Dr. Michelle Ward]

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[Christine Duquette]

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[Dr. Michelle Ward]

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[Dr. Michelle Ward]

In 1995, Kristen looks worlds away from her high school yearbook. The mom of two is stylish. Her hair is now cropped and dyed into a fashionable blonde Bob, a new member of staff, has joined the vamc. Gulf War veteran James Jim Peralt. He's taken on as a VA police officer. As he describes.

[William Welch]

My primary role is security and safety of the staff and patients, assisting staff members with patients who are unruly or disruptive, assisting during medical emergencies and psych interventions. During my rounds doing security, I stopped on the wards and I would talk to staff members. And Kristen and I seemed to have more in common than we talked a lot. So James Trout was a veteran, certainly a younger individual. He was in his early 20s, got a job at the VA Medical center on their police force. Again, it was a position that really was more about doing security and patrols and occasionally having to deal with the unruly patient either because of substance or alcohol abuse. But otherwise, you know, would not call it a high stress position. But one of the things that they did do is they responded to medical emergencies. Not only did they respond in, in order to provide sort of crowd control or security, but they also performed some of the labor. And in particular, James Peralt would do the CPRs or would help with the CPRs because, you know, they can be tiring. He would be doing the chest compressions.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

The arrival of James Peralt coincides with the disintegration of Kristin's picture perfect personal life. She and her husband Glenn welcomed a second son in November of 1993. But by late summer 1995, Kristin no longer appears interested in home life. In fact, everything she does seems to be geared towards socializing with work colleagues. Glenn Gilbert.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

It started as, I believe.

[William Welch]

Just a casual gathering for a drink on the way home from work.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

And it progressed to the point where.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

It became part of the ending of.

[William Welch]

An evening that was she was home.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

With the kids, with myself, and then would get changed to go out at.

[William Welch]

Midnight to meet up with those people.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Colleagues start to notice further changes in Kristen's appearance too.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

She was a very pretty, well kept young woman who just looked normally pretty and well kept. And she had a marked weight loss and her appearance became very flamboyant, very provocative looking. She was wearing makeup, which I really didn't notice her wearing makeup prior to that. And she had gotten a hairdo, a layered kind of tossing hairdo.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

And her appearance was just very different.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

From what it had been.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

It isn't long before conversations between Kristen and the young VA police officer James park become flirtatious. And by the summer of 1995, an affair begins. Things turned physical after some afterwork drinks at the local Veterans of Foreign wars bar called the vfw. He describes the moment.

[William Welch]

We were at the VFW one night and I had gotten there prior to her arrival. A group of other VA employees showed up and then Kristen showed up at midnight, and there was not a seat available for her to sit on, so she shared a stool with myself. I walked her out to her vehicle, and we got to her vehicle and we kissed.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

They make very little effort to hide their affair at work, with patient codes being one of the central times they get to work together in close quarters, VA police officers are often called upon to perform the physically challenging work of cpr.

[William Welch]

She stated that she enjoyed watching me perform cpr, watching my muscles as I did the compressions, and that I did it correctly. Out of all the other offices, one.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Nurse reports what she witnessed. Kristen would be doing things with the patient and glancing over at Jim, and Jim would be glancing over at her. They would rub up against each other and give each other. It was like looking at each other in their eyes and stuff. I'm trying to understand their mindset. I'd think that trying to save someone's life would be distracting enough. But while they're trying to save someone's life, they're flirting, rubbing against each other. It's so disturbing to me. And the accounts of their behavior, Kristin's in particular, get even worse. We were moving a patient out, and they were coming down the hall, and Kristen started doing chest compressions, and she actually jumped on top of the patient, like, straddled him, got her leg around on top of him so that her legs were on the side of his hips, and she was doing the compressions. That particular time that she did that, she also was wearing a skirt, and her skirt went up high, and you could see that she had a garter belt on. There's clearly something very odd going on here. William Welch, did the onlookers report that she seemed excited by the thrill of the code?

[William Welch]

Yeah, one of the themes of some of their conversations was that she often looked excited by the codes themselves and that she would then brag after the fact about, you know, oh, we saved another one, or we were able to pull him back from the precipice of death. But that was a theme, you know, clearly a topic of conversation amongst some of the co workers, which was like, why is she getting so worked up about these codes in terms of, you know, the self gratification?

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

As I dig a little deeper, it's clear that the case of Kristen Gilbert is far more complicated than I had previously thought. Her troubling behavior seeps into all areas of her life. At the end of October 1995, Kristen arranges a frankly bizarre Halloween party where she invites her lover, James Perrault, as her sister Tara's daughter date. But the affair is clear for all to see, including Glenn.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Kristen's involvement with Jim Peralt pretty much dominated her evening.

[William Welch]

She had arranged a date between her sister and Jim Peralt and was very much involved in the connecting of the two people at this party.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

I was pretty much ignored for the.

[William Welch]

Majority of the party by Kristen.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

The relationship between husband and wife is friends fracturing beyond repair. Glen then notices the meals Kristin cooks for him taste unusual. He has a horrible feeling she's doing something to his food, but can't be sure. Then on November 5, 1995, his health deteriorates and he is hospitalized. They find potassium and glucose levels to be very low, but he is sent home to recover.

[William Welch]

One day, he was really not feeling well, kind of under the weather, and communicated that to Kristen. He told her that it was probably simply because, you know, he had gone out late the night before after a softball game, had a few too many beers, was kind of feeling the effects of that. But according to him, she expressed worry and said they really needed to figure out what the underlying cause was. And she recommended that she take a blood sample and told him that she could take it to the VA and have it analyzed. And so he, you know, metaphorically kind of scratched his head and said, really, I don't understand why I would need to get. Have to give a blood sample when I really just think it's because I'm hungover. And she began to press a little bit more and said, no, no, I think we should do it. We should do it. So he believed that she had his best interests in heart. Obviously, he was her husband. He was the father of their two kids. She was a nurse. She told him she had done this hundreds of times before. So they went into the bathroom. He sat on the toilet seat. She pulled out a needle and a syringe. He. He didn't really have a good description of the object that she drew liquid from, but he did have a memory that she drew a liquid from sort of a glass object. And so he said to her, I thought you were going to draw blood. Why do you need to put something into my vein? And her response was, well, we need to flush your vein first before I can draw any blood. As he described it to us, you know, he was not a medical professional. Again, he had no reason to believe that she was trying to harm him. And she began to inject this liquid into his vein. He described this sensation that quickly traveled up his arm and then said it hit his heart like a fist and all he remembered at that point was waking up on the floor of their bathroom. And as he was coming to, he described how she very hurriedly was putting together this syringe and sort of whatever other objects that she had in her hand into a kit and then kind of ran out of the bathroom.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Wow. And she didn't address it with him. She didn't. She just scurried away.

[William Welch]

Correct.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

As with Stanley Jagadowski, we have this description of a burning or warm sensation in the arm and then a pain to the heart. Instead of caring for her husband, Kristen looks flustered, packs up her medical bag and walks away. Glen keeps the incident to himself for now. Was she trying to kill her own husband? Born in 1960, Henry Houdon was a well liked teen with lots of promise. His sister, Christine Duquette tells his story. What was your favorite thing about Henry as your little brother?

[Christine Duquette]

He could always make you laugh and sometimes not meaning to, it was just sometimes his thought process about things. He would get things accomplished and if you ask, well, what made you think of that? And then he would just tell you. Well, and it just sounded, when he said it, like common sense. But he was good at problem solving. Very good at problem solving.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

So he was funny and clever.

[Christine Duquette]

Yeah.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

What prompted him to join the Air Force?

[Christine Duquette]

Well, there's a bit of Air Force, well, military history in the family. And my dad, he was in the Army Air Corps prior to World War II and served all during World War II. And when the army and Air Corps split, he went to the Air Force side and he was still in a couple years after World War II.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

And that's what inspired Henry to kind of follow in his footsteps.

[Christine Duquette]

I think it did, I think it had a lot to do do with it. He went to basic training and then to tech school for physical therapy assistant and he was shipped. He had 24 hours leave and it happened to be on Thanksgiving. So he came home from Texas for Thanksgiving Day and then I drove him the next day to McGuire Air Base in New Jersey and he took off for Lakenheath. That was his first assignment. I, I don't like to go back too far with a lot of the memories because I will just sit that they all come crashing forward and I cry and cry. But the, the one that I think about the most is when he was stationed over in England and I went over to visit him and he was stationed at Lakenheath. And where he loved the most was Cambridge. So of course he took me to Cambridge a couple times when I went and he was. I don't think I've ever seen him so happy. I mean, he was just so delighted with everything there. The people, especially the shops, the restaurants, the pubs.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

He was just.

[Christine Duquette]

He was in his element when he was there.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

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[William Welch]

Goodbye.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Imagine a world of extraordinary comfort where bowl and branch bedding wraps you in the softest. Embrace the coziest experience made from the world's finest 100% organic cotton, all so you can sleep better. Start building your fall sanctuary with Bolen Branch's iconic signature sheets made with a buttery, breathable weave that gets softer with every wash. Enjoy 15% off your first set of sheets with free shipping and returns at B O L L& Branch.com with code BUTTERY. See site for details and exclusions. In too many Chicago neighborhoods, access to fresh food is a luxury not a given. Gardeneers is working to change that by supporting school garden programs that empower students to grow their own produce, learn about nutrition, and fight back against systemic food injustice. These aren't just gardens. They're pathways to health, education and equity. Learn how you can [e-mail] let's grow food justice in Chicago together. People find themselves in need of healthcare for all kinds of reasons, but Henry Houdin's story is particularly tragic magic. It's 1980, and after just under a year in England, something happens that will change his life dramatically.

[Christine Duquette]

And what happened is he was in the pizza shop with one of his friends and this was on the base and at the table. Next one of the tables Next to them was an officer with his wife and children, younger children. And there was a fight that broke out with two gentlemen between. He has no idea who they were, just two other GIs, two other airmen. And the officer just looked at my brother and his friend Mike and said, go put a stop to that now. I don't need my kids seeing that. So they got up and they attempted to stop the fight. And my brother ended up with a beer bottle right across his forehead. And that's where everything went downhill from there. He had a detached retina. There was a substantial amount of frontal lobe damage. He was in the hospital there for quite some time. Eventually he got shipped home and he was labeled within a few months of passive aggressive behavior. And about six months after that with some schizophrenia, which is pretty basic with frontal lobe damage.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

He must have been hit tremendously hard for it to cause all of that.

[Christine Duquette]

Well, part of it was the beer bottle, but as soon as he got hit with the beer bottle, he went face down right on the cement floor. So it's like it's a double whammy right there.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Upon hearing the news, Christine goes to see her brother.

[Christine Duquette]

All I could get off of work was just a couple of days. So it was a quick trip back and forth while he was in the hospital. And I could see it in the hospital already. I just assumed that it was due to the injury and possible medication they had him on. But it was not the same person already talking to him. It was just. He was very despondent.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

That's horrible. What happened after that, after the hospital?

[Christine Duquette]

Well, after he came home, he was given a general medical discharge and then he came home. And that's how he got involved with Leeds VA center to start with. They're very well known across the country. They have a very large psych ward. And so he'd be in and out, you know, he. They'd get him on a medication regimen and it would work for a while, but it was okay. I mean, it. It still wasn't my. The same brother with the same attitude. He still would just be very sad, very quiet most of the time. And he would just tell you flat out, he would say, you know, I'm never going to be normal. I'm never going to hold that much of a job. School is out of the question. I just can't do it anymore. So your heart would just break over that? Because it did destroy his life. It really did.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Did you get glimpses of the old Henry when he was compliant with his medication?

[Christine Duquette]

Yes, he would be laughing. He would be joking, always working on some kind of projects, whether it was something electronic or something carpentry. And he would be enjoying himself and enjoy whatever it was that he was doing.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

It's December 8, 1995, and Henry Houdon, now 35, is suffering from a dreadful bout of the flu. As a veteran with complex and ongoing psychological issues, the Veterans Affairs Medical center is his local health care facility. While being admitted, Henry initially tells a white lie to ensure he's seen William Welch.

[William Welch]

He claimed that he had overdosed, which is not an uncommon false claim to make simply to be able to get housed at the VA Medical Center. Fate resulted in him going over to Ward C, going into the icu, and that evening, Kristen Gilbert was his caregiver.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Christine Duquette continues. So how did he feel about being admitted to this different ward of the hospital?

[Christine Duquette]

Terrified. He had been for a medication adjustment about a month before in the psychiatric unit. So when he got admitted to the medical side, my mom was getting ready to leave and he just looked at her and he said, so, what's going on? And she said, well, they're going to keep you overnight. Specifically, they're going to give you medication to stop the vomiting so you can keep your psych meds down because we don't want to wear, we don't want to go through that all over again. He, he was in a panic when she said that. He said, I don't, I don't want to stay here. He said, you don't? She says, why? He says, you don't understand. People have been dying around here more lately than ever. I don't want to stay here. And he, he started getting louder and louder. So the doctor in the ER pop section, or admitting section, I should say, came over and told my mother, pulled her aside and said, look it, just tell him you'll be back tomorrow with some clothes for him and just quietly go. We don't want a big escalation here. So my mother went back to him and told him, I'm going to be back tomorrow. I'm going to bring some clothes to you. And the last thing he said to her was, mom, I seriously, I don't want to die.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Dr. Greg Blackman is on shift that evening.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

So Henry Hudon's admission diagnosis was overdose. And so, I mean, little did I know that it was fabricated. So he's schizophrenic. Supposedly he had a tricyclic overdose. And so tricyclists, if you have an overdose, it gives you arrhythmias so he was in the unit. He had a normal ekg, he had a normal rhythm strip. We did a tox screen on him, and it did come back and it was negative, like, okay. And I just figured, well, it had gotten out of his system by then. So. All right, that's good. Great. I can sleep tonight.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

The nurse on shift that evening is Kristen Gilbert. Her affair with James Perrault continues. As James describes.

[William Welch]

Things became more charged between us while we were together. We'd flirt more often when we were together, send more suggestive emails and phone conversations back and forth.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

At 5:18pm Using a hospital computer terminal, James Peralt sends Kristen an email about their dinner plans.

[William Welch]

I hope the chicken is done. Check it first. I looked and it did look done. I put it back in for another half hour uncovered, so I think that should be done.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

At 5:43pm Henry Houdon's heart rate skyrockets, and Kristen calls an emergency code. The emergency team, including Dr. Greg Blackman, Kristen Gilbert, and James Peralt are on the scene. Dr. Greg Blackman.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I run upstairs. We commence with the code. We go through algorithms, so every five minutes, epinephrine, you shock them. We gave them lidocaine. That didn't work. We gave him more lidocaine. That didn't work. We went to Bertillium, which ironically is no longer in the algorithm. It got taken away in favor of amiodarone, but it was still on the algorithm. So we went to that. It's an antiarrhythmic, so we gave reptilium. And the thing that you really don't want if you resuscitate someone is for them to be brain damaged.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Right.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

And so we brought him back and he was moving and his eyes were opening, and at this point, he was intubated. So, okay, he's a rested. Get the airway in there. And we, we give him a rest, resuscitated, and then he's moving, his eyes are open, and it's like, holy cow, this is fantastic. And I said, wow, we got him back and he's awake. And he looks at me, goes, I wouldn't be so happy. So what do you mean? He goes, he's schizophrenic. And a. One of my boyhood friends and his younger brother got diagnosis as schizophrenic as an adult. And so, I mean, it's. It's not a huge revelation to say that, well, you know, the people that have psychiatric illnesses are people, and, you know, there's a range of functionality there too. And there are people that are functional and so that really didn't sit right with me.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

So insensitive. And she's devalued him right in front of you.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

And so, I mean, you know, I, I'm not real big on being thought police. And so I wasn't scolding or anything like that, but I just filed that away like, okay, that's not cool.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Is there anything else you remember?

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I remember during that code parole by James, Jim was delivering cpr. I mean, he was a piston and it was just boom, boom, boom.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Did you know that he and Kristen were having an affair at that time?

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I did not. I did not. I know that both of them were very effective in the code.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

With Henry Houdon stabilized, James Perrault returns to his office and he and Kristen continue to email each other. Between emails, Kristen enters Henry Houdon's room and injects him with what she would later claim was volume. Within three minutes at 6:55pm, Kristen calls another code for Henry and he rearrests.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

And well, you, you know, take the pony that got you there. So I use Bertillum again. Boom. Again he comes back and she comes comment. It was. She said, hm, I've never seen you in use Bertillion before. And it was a bit flirtatious. But so anyway, that was weird.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

With Henry brought back from the brink for a second time, everyone returns to their stations. Then at 7.29pm, while Kristen Gilbert is allegedly administering potassium to Henry Houdon, he goes into cardiac arrest again. And Kristen calls a third code. The emergency team descends and Henry is stabilized Once more. At 9:07pm, Kristin emails Perrault. So are we going out? Should I meet you? 28 minutes later, at 9:34pm, Kristin calls a fourth code for Henry. This time the emergency team is unable to resuscitate him. Dr. Blackman pronounces the physically healthy young man dead.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

And he passed. And I called his mother. And the conversation where I had used the term we've lost Henry, and the mother's like, well, where did he go? You know, did he leave the hospital? And then I had to be explicit and said that, well, Henry died. And she's like, no, oh no. And that's hard. I mean that this heartbreaking.

[Christine Duquette]

He got the phone call later that night that he passed away. And I guess my mother just. I don't know exactly what she did except for the fact she went next door to her neighbor and it's her neighbor who called me and said, your mom can't talk right now. The hospital just called about your brother. He's dead. My mind just went blank. I grabbed my purse, I grabbed my car keys and I flew up there. I know. My brother did not have any kind of heart problem. He did not have any medical problem, you know, no kidney problem, no diabetes, no anything. Just the psych issues. That's it.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

How far was that horrible drive?

[Christine Duquette]

It was about. Well, I went down to see my mom first to make sure she was okay. So the whole thing going to her, I only stayed if two minutes. And then up to Leeds about an hour, hour and 15 minutes.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

So you have an hour and 15 minutes of hearing that your brother's dead to ruminate until you actually get to the hospital.

[Christine Duquette]

Yeah. And all I kept thinking was the doctor had to have made a mistake.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

At the hospital, Kristen Gilbert finishes her shift and heads off to her date with James Perrault. What was the hospital's response? What did you see when you got there?

[Christine Duquette]

Well, when I got there, I don't know, the words just came out. And it's so funny because I had not been thinking about that beforehand. I said, I want an autopsy.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Meanwhile, Dr. Greg Blackman is left dumbfounded by the unexpected death.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I mean, this is one of the dirty secrets of being a physician. When something doesn't go the way that it should, there's this. It's a nauseating feeling. Where are you? Like, what, what, what? Can I be done differently? Yeah, yeah, you. And if you, if you care, I mean, you're like, okay, let me. You just think about it.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Yeah.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

And it, it just stays with you.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

A couple of days later, desperate for any information about her son's final hours, Henry's mother Julia calls the hospital to speak to anyone who might have been with her son. At the end, Kristen Gilbert takes the call. It was fast. She then impatiently cuts short the call with a grieving mother. I've just come on duty and I have to go. I cannot believe how incredibly cold Kristin just was with a grieving mother. I mean, she has time to email James Peralt, but doesn't have time to give this mom some information about her deceased son. And trying to make sense of all of it, I've been looking over the records relating to her case, and it seems like Kristin's lack of bedside manner has been repeatedly remarked upon. The main complaint is her lack of interest in patient well being. It's a recurring issue. It seems to have stalled her career progression to an extent. Here it says in late 1995, she was eligible for a promotion from a grade one to a grade two nurse. And as part of the application, Kristin, of course, points to her expertise in administering medication and how she even promoted a new way of administering the drug called epinephrine during medical emergencies with a different kind of needle. But ultimately, she consistently fails to improve upon what I would argue is the most crucial aspect of nursing, and that's genuine care. Henry Houdon's autopsy takes place on December 10, 1995. For a death of that nature, the cause should be fearful, physically obvious. There should be pre existing heart issues or evidence of something else that may have triggered so many cardiac arrests. And yet the medical examiner notes that he cannot find, and I quote, a clear cause of death. Between August and December 1995, Kristen Gilbert has killed at least two individuals, Stanley Jagadowski and Henry Houdon. And her activities on Ward C are about to escalate to a whole new level of horror. Next time on Mind of a Monster the Killer Nurse. Her motivation was unusual. It was different from what we ordinarily see.

[Christine Duquette]

Kathy started wondering, why are all these people coding on our shift?

[William Welch]

They just kind of accept that the treatment that they're getting well because they're hurting.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

They see their patients as objects to.

[Christine Duquette]

Further their need for attention, for control, for sadistic purposes.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

Mind of a Monster the Killer Nurse is produced by Aeromedia, a Fremantle Company for ID. I'm your host, Dr. Michelle Ward. You can follow our show wherever you get your podcasts and we'd love it if you could take a second to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts. Imagine a world of extraordinary comfort where bowl and branch bedding wraps you in the softest. Embrace the coziest experience made from the world's finest 100% organic cotton, all so you can sleep better. Start building your fall sanctuary with Bolen branches iconic signature sheets made with a buttery, breathable weave that gets softer with every wash. Enjoy 15% off your first set of sheets with free shipping and returns at B O L L& Branch.com with code BUTTERY. See site for details and exclusions.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Acast powers the world's best podcasts.

[William Welch]

Here's a show that we recommend.

[Dr. Michelle Ward]

The Real Housewives is a guilty pleasure for most. But if you're looking to not feel guilty about that pleasure, tune in to Everything Iconic with me, Dani Pellegrino, where I break down all the messy moments and behind the scenes antics of Bravo's popular franchise. On Everything Iconic I also interview celebrity guests like Kelly Ripa, Keke Palmer, Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and more about their guilty pleasures, their past work, and so much more. So if you're pop culture obsessed and find yourself watching way too much reality TV like me, tune in to everything iconic with Danny Pellegrino. Wherever you listen to podcasts.

[William Welch]

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[Christine Duquette]

Creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Acast.com.