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Ep.3: Ward C

Mind of a Monster: The Hollywood Ripper

Tue Oct 07 2025

Summary

Mind of a Monster: The Killer Nurse

Episode 3: Ward C

Host: Dr. Michelle Ward
Date: October 7, 2025

Episode Overview

In this gripping installment, Dr. Michelle Ward explores the escalating pattern of deaths and emergency codes in Ward C at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Massachusetts, zeroing in on nurse Kristen Gilbert's increasingly suspicious behavior. The episode delves into how staff members began to suspect Kristen, the forensic methods used to detect medical serial killers, and the chilling motives that drive such crimes. Personal accounts from families, nurses, and psychological experts bring fresh insight into the culture of cover-up and the bravery of whistleblowers who stepped forward.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Strange Patterns in Patient Decline (03:33–06:02)

Francis Marier’s Close Call: WWII veteran Francis Marier suffers an unexplained cardiac arrest shortly after Kristen’s intervention, despite no prior heart issues.
- “It is unheard of for a patient to encounter serious heart issues following an injection of glucose. What has gone wrong?” – Dr. Michelle Ward [03:58]
Statistical anomalies:
- In 1995 there were four times as many deaths on Kristen’s evening shift (nearly 40), compared to 10 or fewer on other shifts.
- Kristen activated the emergency alarm 72 times from 1989–1995, matching the total by all other nurses combined.

2. Colleague Suspicion & Recognition (06:02–12:26)

Nurse Awareness:
- Beatrice Yorker (criminal justice professor and nurse) explains why nurses notice irregularities before doctors:
  - “Nurses know each other. They know patients. Nurses know how hospitals are run, where things are kept, who comes and goes. Doctors come and go.” – Nurse Kathy Ricks [09:31]
Building a Pattern:
- Nurses like Kathy Ricks become alert to recurring codes on Kristen’s shifts, despite initial reluctance to suspect a colleague:
  - “She didn’t want to think it, but it was just. It was happening too often.” – Nurse Kathy Ricks [11:31]
Obstacles:
- Medical records are withheld or sent out, further stoking suspicion among families and staff.

3. How Killer Nurses Operate (14:27–20:03)

Medical Murder Methods:
- Most common is lethal injection via IV lines, with the favored drugs being potassium chloride, insulin, epinephrine, and even air.
- Potassium chloride and epinephrine are difficult to detect in autopsies, making them popular with medical murderers.
- “If you draw up a syringe with 10cc’s of air and you inject that air into an IV line, you will cause a heart attack.” – Beatrice Yorker [15:08]
Motives & Modus Operandi:
- Many are motivated by drama and attention, not mercy.
- Creating “codes” allows the nurse to stand in the spotlight—either as savior or as instigator of chaos.

4. Patterns Recognized in Kristen’s Conduct (23:01–30:52)

Escalation:
- Multiple suspicious deaths under Kristen’s care are recounted:
  - Thomas Callahan goes into cardiac arrest with no clear cause [23:01–25:09]
  - Kenneth Cutting, a stable patient, dies abruptly after Kristen expresses a wish to leave early if he dies [29:31–30:19]
    - “Can I go home early if Kenneth dies tonight?” – Dr. Michelle Ward recounts Kristen’s words [29:31]
  - Lax record-keeping and casual possession of epinephrine by Kristen raise alarms.
- Kristen is described as showing chilling lack of empathy and immediacy to resume her social life after deaths [30:19–30:52].

5. Psychological Profile and Motives (33:10–41:22)

Common Traits in Medical Serial Killers:
- Lie frequently, keep medications at home, skip between jobs, crave attention, prefer late shifts.
- “They want to be the center of attention. They want to demonstrate their skills. These are not people who are slackers.” – Dr. Katherine Ramsland [34:05]
The Munchausen by Proxy Link:
- Motive often tied to “hero syndrome” or Munchausen by proxy—causing harm to draw attention and validation.
- “I’m like those firefighters who set fires. That is the essence of...the Munchausen by proxy crisis causer.” – Reference to Richard Angelo, quoted by Beatrice Yorker [41:08]

6. The Whistleblowers Step In (41:22–47:29)

Tracking the Drugs:
- Kathy Ricks tracks epinephrine vials, noticing alarming depletion corresponding with Kristen’s shifts.
- “Before she left, there were 18 vials...She checks again. There are now three.” – Dr. Michelle Ward [42:00–42:53]
Final Straw & Reporting:
- After another code and empty epinephrine stores, Kathy and others report Kristen to the nurse manager [46:40].
- Episode closes with a tense meeting:
  - “Who here thinks Kristen Gilbert murdered the patients?...And all the investigators raised their hand.” – Narrator/Host [47:18]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“It is unheard of for a patient to encounter serious heart issues following an injection of glucose. What has gone wrong?”
– Dr. Michelle Ward [03:58]
“Nurses know how hospitals are run...the doctor typically isn’t as involved with hospital life as everybody thinks they are. We do everything that’s right, so we’re aware of everything. And when something is out of kilter...you know what became routine.”
– Nurse Kathy Ricks [09:31–10:41]
“If you draw up a syringe with 10cc’s of air and you inject that air into an IV line, you will cause a heart attack.”
– Beatrice Yorker [15:08]
“She didn’t want to think it, but it was just. It was happening too often. I mean, their unit started getting a reputation after a while. And she. She was curious.”
– Nurse Kathy Ricks [11:31]
“They want to be the center of attention. They want to demonstrate their skills...They are people who do, you know, overwork, who come in and take extra hours because they want to be around when these things happen.”
– Dr. Katherine Ramsland [34:05]
“Can I go home early if Kenneth dies tonight?”
– Kristin Gilbert (recounted), [29:31]
“I’m like those firefighters who set fires. That is the essence of...the Munchausen by proxy crisis causer.”
– Beatrice Yorker, referencing Richard Angelo [41:08]
“Who here thinks Kristen Gilbert murdered the patients?” — “And all the investigators raised their hand.”
– Narrator/Host with Family Member/Relative [47:18]

Timestamps for Important Segments

03:33 – Suspicious events with Francis Marier and sudden cardiac arrest
04:59 – Statistical overview: High death rate during Kristen’s shifts
06:02 – Nurse Beatrice Yorker describes resuscitation patterns as red flags in serial killings
09:31 – Insight into nurse awareness and hospital routines from Kathy Ricks
14:27 – Discussion about typical methods used by healthcare serial killers
23:01 – Case of Thomas Callahan and medication anomalies in the ICU
29:31 – The abrupt death of Kenneth Cutting and Kristen’s chilling request
33:10 – Dr. Katherine Ramsland on profiling medical serial killers
41:22 – Munchausen by proxy explained as a motive
42:00 – Depleting epinephrine supplies in the ICU linked to Kristen’s shifts
47:18 – Investigators collectively suspect Kristen following staff reporting

Tone & Style

The episode is methodical, clinical, and compassionate in tone, reflective of Dr. Ward’s background as a psychologist. The narrative alternates between deeply personal recollections of families, the chilling matter-of-fact observations of medical staff, and forensic-level analysis. The frustration, disbelief, and mounting courage of whistleblowers are palpable, underscoring the gravity of the crisis in Ward C.

This summary covers all critical developments in the episode—from the unraveling of Kristen Gilbert’s pattern of subterfuge, to the formation of a groundswell of suspicion and the brave, coordinated stand taken by staff to halt the killing spree. The expert interviews and personal stories combine to keep the listener riveted and deeply unsettled by the realities of medical serial killers.

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Transcript

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Dr. Michelle Ward (1:33)

This podcast explores themes of violence, self harm and murder. Listener discretion is advised. Please note some of the voices you hear in this series have been performed by actors. Previously on Mind of a Monster. The Killer Nurse.

Narrator/Host (1:48)

Suddenly, Stanley Jagadowski began to scream out Stop. Stop. It's burning me. It hurts. I said I want an autopsy.

Dr. Michelle Ward (1:58)

Kristen Gilbert is a health care serial killer convicted of murdering four patients, attempting to murder two more, and suspected of killing dozens of others. Her victim count could be as high as in the hundreds. From ID and Arrow Media, I'm criminal psychologist Dr. Michelle Ward and this is Mind of a the killer nurse. Chapter 3, Ward C. It's late December 1995 and as Christmas draws closer, 72 year old World War II veteran Francis Marier is admitted to Ward C. A diabetic, Marrier has been a frequent visitor to the medical facility for a long while. His Admittance this time is simply to treat ulcers. His heart is fine, so much so that the medical team doesn't see a need to fix him to a heart monitor. He's in a regular room, not the ICU, on December 20. All his signs that day have been normal. But something changes within an hour of nurse Kristen Gilbert taking over his care. Tonight, she has plans of her own. She wants to go out to socialize, but her request to leave has been denied by the charge nurse. Entering Mario's room, she notes that his blood sugar levels have dropped alarmingly low and claims to have administered a strong glucose injection to help bring the levels back up again. Only instead of helping, the injection she claims triggers a cardiac arrest. An emergency code is called, and the medical team descends. Marier pulls through. For a man who has survived D Day, it is another extremely close call. But like D Day, his sudden cardiac arrest defies all odds. It is unheard of for a patient to encounter serious heart issues following an injection of glucose. What has gone wrong? Christmas comes and goes, and Kristen's relationship with VAMC Veterans Affairs Medical Center Police officer James Perolt continues to develop. Soon after the possible poisoning of her husband, Glenn, in November 1995, Kristin moves out of the family home and into an apartment by herself. She and James spend almost all of their free time together.

Dr. Michelle Ward (20:09)

To give a little context to the individuals Beatrice and I are discussing, Dr. Harold Shipman was a British doctor and serial killer who is believed to have murdered upwards of 250 patients over 30 years, injecting them with diamorphine and then forging their wills to his benefit. Dr. Michael Swango is believed to have poisoned up to 60 patients in the US and Zimbabwe, changing his name to avoid record checks. And Efren Saldivar, who was an American respiratory therapist who. Who is believed to have murdered more than 200 patients. I'm out walking the dog and it's a bit of a busy street, so it might be noisy. But I wanted to capture my thoughts about that conversation I just had with Beatrice Yorker, the nurse, but also a professor of criminology. And she's really opened my eyes to an arena of violent crime that I hadn't totally considered before. And I can't help but think of this. 150 people in her database of killers. And that, for all we know, is just the tip of the iceberg. It's a terrifying fact. And they have so many weapons at their disposal in the healthcare fields. And the fact that these methods are so premeditated, sneaky, there's no chance that it's due to accident. So they're not just thinking about how to get away with the murder. They're thinking about how to disguise the fact that a murder had taken place at all. They're weaponizing not just the medicine that they have their fingertips, they're also weaponizing patient trust. And we know that Kristin is an exceptional killer in so many ways. But what I'm learning is that something that I thought was really rare, this health care serial killing is actually far more widespread than I've ever known. And it really makes me think long and hard about this case and also how difficult it must have been for these extraordinarily brave nurses and doctors to call out this bad behavior. They're putting their own careers at risk. There is an additional dimension as well that I haven't really considered yet. Kristin Gilbert is working within the Veterans Affairs Medical center, and her patients are more often than not men who have fought wars, experienced combat. So there is an interesting subversion of power that is coming into play as well. Special Investigator Bruce Sackman insightfully describes hospitals.