The trial of Dr. William Husel is being livestreamed each day on NBC4i.com and the NBC4 app. 5:00 p.m. Update: The trial has ended for the day and is scheduled to resume Wednesday.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The murder trial against former Mount Carmel West Dr. William Husel continued with testimony from a Tampa physician Tuesday.
Forty witnesses have taken the stand thus far through the first four weeks of the trial. Husel, 46, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the deaths of 14 ICU patients who were under his care at the former Mount Carmel West from 2015 to 2018.
Tuesday morning, Dr. John Walther Schweiger, a Tampa anesthesiologist and critical care physician, continued testifying as an expert witness for the prosecution.
Schweiger testified that he reviewed the medical records for Husel’s patients, saying that in 13 of the 14 cases he looked at, he believes the administration of medications given to them and prescribed by Husel hastened or caused their deaths.
Prosecuting attorney Janet Grubb asked Schweiger about the medical records of Danny Mollette, 74, who died under Husel’s care after receiving 1,000 micrograms of fentanyl in December 2017.
Schweiger said that Mount Carmel staff did not give Mollette, who suffered from diabetes and abnormally high blood pressure, enough time to determine whether the 74-year-old’s underlying symptoms would have been terminal.
He testified that there was no need for Husel to prescribe additional anxiety-reducing pain medications like Versed and Dilaudid, as Mollette was comatosed at the time he received the doses and thus could not feel pain.
“In my professional opinion, the intention was to rapidly terminate Mollette’s ability to breathe on his own and consequently hasten death,” Schweiger said.
Schweiger continued to testify Tuesday afternoon on the medical records and deaths of several other alleged Husel victims, including James Allen.
“Within a reasonable degree of medical certainty, the administration of the 1,000 mics of fentanyl in combination with the 6 milligrams of Versed at the time the endotracheal tube was removed did in fact hasten Mr. Allen’s death and thus prevent a natural death that would have otherwise occurred had these medications not been administered at these doses,” Schweiger said on the stand.
On Monday, family members of two of Husel’s patients testified first: Christine Allison and Robert Hodge.
They were followed by Schweiger, who testified Monday about brain death and how it is determined. Brain death was the diagnosis for many of Husel’s former patients.
The fourth week of testimony was the most emotional of the trial so far as several family members of some of Husel’s patients testified. CLICK HERE for a more extensive recap.
During opening statements, Husel’s defense team put forth that the doctor was providing “comfort care” for patients who were reaching the end of their lives.
Attorneys have said the trial could last about eight weeks.
Here are some of the individuals who may appear during the proceedings:
Judge
Defendant
Defense attorneys
Prosecuting attorneys
