28-year-old pediatric nurse Lucy Letby was known as a do-gooder. She was “kind-hearted”
and “amazing,” and she looked after newborns at the Countess of Chester Hospital
in Chester, England. She was active in a $4 million fundraising campaign to
build a new neonatal unit at the hospital. She was arrested July 3, 2018 on
suspicion of murdering 17 infants over a 16-month period.
“The
680-bed hospital in Chester, southeast of Liverpool, asked police in May 2017
to investigate a sudden, unexplained mortality-rate spike in the unit that
houses premature babies and those needing special care. When doctors couldn’t
determine how they died, the police were asked to rule out ‘unnatural causes of
death.’”
“The
probe initially focused on the deaths of eight babies, but authorities said
Tuesday it now includes the deaths of 17 and 15 ‘nonfatal collapses’ between
March 2015 and July 2016. A “nonfatal collapse” is when an infant’s health severely
declines but the child survives.” [NYPost]
The
investigation continues.
[Lia
Eustachewich, “Friends, co-workers shocked by ‘kindhearted’ nurse suspected of
murdering babies,” New York Post, Jul. 4, 2018]
***
CHRONOLOGY
Victims (all under 12 mo.) — Joseph Johnson, Cemlyn Bennett,
Elsie McNall, Daisy Parkin, Barney Gee, Maddie Freed, Eli Gelder, Joseph
Gelder.
1990 – Lucy Letby born. Unmarried.
2011 – graduated with a nursing degree from Chester
University.
Jun. 2015 – Letby employed at neonatal unit of the Countess
of Chester hospital, where she worked, between June 2015 and June 2016. Letby
“was the only constant presence” when three babies died and one suffered a
life-threatening collapse in two weeks on the neonatal unit in June 2015.
Jun. 8, 2015 – Count 1; Charged with murder of Baby A.
Jun. 8, 2015 -- Count 2; Charged with attempted murder
of Baby B between the Jun 8-11, 2015.
Jun. 14, 2015 – Count 3 - Charged with murder of Baby C.
Jun. 22, 2015 – Count 4 - Charged with murder of Baby D.
Aug. 4, 2015 – Count 5 - Charged with murder of Baby E.
Aug. 5, 2015 – Count 6 - Charged with attempted murder
of Baby F.
Sep. 7, 2015 – Count 7 - Charged with attempted murder
of Baby G.
Sep. 21, 2015 – Count 8 - Charged with attempted murder
of Baby G.
Sep. 21, 2015 – Count 9 - Charged with attempted murder
of Baby G.
Sep. 26, 2015 – Count 10 - Charged with attempted
murder of Baby H.
Sep. 27, 2015 – Count
11 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby H.
Oct. 23, 2015 – Count 12 - Charged with murder of Baby
I.
Nov. 27, 2015 – Count 13 - Charged with attempted
murder of Baby J.
Feb. 17, 2015 – Count 14 - Charged with attempted
murder of Baby K.
Apr. 9, 2016 – Count 15 - Charged with attempted murder
of Baby L.
Apr. 9, 2016 – Count 16 - Charged with attempted murder
of Baby M.
Jun. 3, 2016 – Count 17 - Charged with attempted murder
of Baby N.
Jun. 15, 2016 -- Count 18 - Charged with attempted
murder of Baby N.
Jun. 15, 2016 -- Count 19 - Charged with attempted
murder of Baby N.
Jun. 23, 2016 – Count 20 - Charged with murder of Baby
O.
Jun. 24, 2016 – Count 21 - Charged with murder of Baby
P.
Jun. 25, 2016 -- Count 22 - Charged with attempted
murder of Baby Q.
Jun. 2016 – end of employment at Countess of Chester
hospital.
May 2017 – Police launched a probe into the neo-natal unit at Countess of Chester Hospital in May
2017.
Jul. 3, 2018 – Letby arrested for 8 murders.
Jun. 2019 – Letby rearrested in connection with the
attempted murder of three additional babies.
Nov. 10, 2020 – Letby rearrested again and charged with
eight counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.
Nov. 11, 2020, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised
Cheshire Police to charge Lucy Letby with murder in connection with an ongoing
investigation into a number of baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Nov. 12, 2020 – Letby appears at Warrington Magistrates'
Court on November 12, 2020, to face all charges which relate to the year from
June 2015 to June 2016.
Oct. 10, 2022 – trial; Letby denies seven counts of murder
and 15 counts of attempted murder, relating to 17 babies in all.
Aug. 18, 2023 - Found Guilty: 7 murders and 6 attempted murders.
Sources: Jay Akbar, “Who is nurse Lucy Letby and why has she
been arrested?” The Sun, Oct. 3, 2021; Rory Tingle, 'Cold-blooded' Lucy Letby
'smiled at mother after she had murdered her newborn daughter on the fourth
attempt' - then 'sent a sympathy card to the parents,' Mailonline, 12 Oct. 12,
2022.
***
“I am evil” – A hand written note found by police in at Lucy Letby's home at Westbourne Road, Chester.
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[1808-1/14/21; 2637-8/18/23]
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