Donald Harvey
Encyclopedia
Donald Harvey is an American
serial killer
who claims to have murdered
87 people. The official estimates of the number of people he murdered range anywhere from at least 37 to 57 deaths. Donald Harvey received some type of sadistic pleasure from killing his patients, although he claims he started out killing to “ease the pain” of patients. As he progressed in his murders, he began to enjoy it more and more and became a self-professed "Angel of Death". Harvey is currently serving three consecutive life sentence
s at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility
in Lucasville
, Ohio
. His inmate number is A-199449.
profession, beginning his career
as an orderly
at the Marymount Hospital in London, Kentucky
. He later confessed that during the ten month period he worked at this hospital, he killed at least a dozen patients. Harvey is insistent that he killed purely out of a sense of empathy for the sufferings of those who were terminally ill. However, he has also admitted that many of the killings he committed were due to anger at the victim.
Harvey is notable for having kept his crimes from coming to light for over 17 years. The true extent of his crimes may never be known, since so many were undetected for so long. Harvey is also notable for having used numerous methods to kill, such as arsenic
; cyanide
; insulin
; suffocation
; miscellaneous poisons; morphine
; turning off ventilator
s; administration of fluid tainted with hepatitis B and/or HIV
(which resulted in a hepatitis infection, but no HIV infection, and illness rather than death); insertion of a coat hanger into a catheter
, causing an abdominal puncture and subsequent peritonitis
. Cyanide and arsenic were his favorite methods, with Harvey administering them via food, injection, or IV.
The majority of Harvey's crimes took place at the Marymount Hospital in London, Kentucky
, the Cincinnati V.A. Medical Hospital, and Cincinnati's Drake Memorial Hospital. While working there, Harvey acquired the nickname "The Angel of Death", as it was noted that he was present around a number of patients who later died.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
who claims to have murdered
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
87 people. The official estimates of the number of people he murdered range anywhere from at least 37 to 57 deaths. Donald Harvey received some type of sadistic pleasure from killing his patients, although he claims he started out killing to “ease the pain” of patients. As he progressed in his murders, he began to enjoy it more and more and became a self-professed "Angel of Death". Harvey is currently serving three consecutive life sentence
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
s at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility
Southern Ohio Correctional Facility
The Southern Ohio Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison in Lucasville, Ohio, United States. The prison was constructed in 1972 and currently contains the death house for Ohio where death row inmates are executed...
in Lucasville
Lucasville
Lucasville can refer to:* Lucasville, Ohio* Lucasville, Ontario* Lucasville, Nova Scotia...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. His inmate number is A-199449.
History
Dating as far back as the age of eighteen, Harvey had worked in and around the medicalMedicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
profession, beginning his career
Career
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
as an orderly
Orderly
A medical orderly , is a hospital attendant whose job consists of assisting medical and/or nursing staff with various nursing and/or medical interventions. These duties are classified as routine tasks involving no risk for the patient.- Job details :Orderlies are often utilized in various hospital...
at the Marymount Hospital in London, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. He later confessed that during the ten month period he worked at this hospital, he killed at least a dozen patients. Harvey is insistent that he killed purely out of a sense of empathy for the sufferings of those who were terminally ill. However, he has also admitted that many of the killings he committed were due to anger at the victim.
Harvey is notable for having kept his crimes from coming to light for over 17 years. The true extent of his crimes may never be known, since so many were undetected for so long. Harvey is also notable for having used numerous methods to kill, such as arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
; cyanide
Cyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
; insulin
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....
; suffocation
Asphyxia
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body that arises from being unable to breathe normally. An example of asphyxia is choking. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which primarily affects the tissues and organs...
; miscellaneous poisons; morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
; turning off ventilator
Medical ventilator
A medical ventilator can be defined as any machine designed to mechanically move breatheable air into and out of the lungs, to provide the mechanism of breathing for a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently....
s; administration of fluid tainted with hepatitis B and/or HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
(which resulted in a hepatitis infection, but no HIV infection, and illness rather than death); insertion of a coat hanger into a catheter
Catheter
In medicine, a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel. Catheters thereby allow drainage, administration of fluids or gases, or access by surgical instruments. The process of inserting a catheter is catheterization...
, causing an abdominal puncture and subsequent peritonitis
Peritonitis
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane that lines part of the abdominal cavity and viscera. Peritonitis may be localised or generalised, and may result from infection or from a non-infectious process.-Abdominal pain and tenderness:The main manifestations of...
. Cyanide and arsenic were his favorite methods, with Harvey administering them via food, injection, or IV.
The majority of Harvey's crimes took place at the Marymount Hospital in London, Kentucky
London, Kentucky
-Education:All of the following schools are administered by the Laurel County School District.-Primary schools:* * * * * * * * * * * * -High schools:* * -Colleges:* Laurel Technical College* * -Notable natives:...
, the Cincinnati V.A. Medical Hospital, and Cincinnati's Drake Memorial Hospital. While working there, Harvey acquired the nickname "The Angel of Death", as it was noted that he was present around a number of patients who later died.
External links
- Donald Harvey at The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
- Donald Harvey at CrimeLibrary.com