Known by the moniker the ‘Angel of Death’, Texas-born Genene Jones was a paediatric nurse recognised for killing around 60, or more, children in the 1980s. Jones worked at the paediatric intensive care unit at Bexar County Hospital in San Antonio when her co-workers began to get suspicious of how many infants were dying in her care. These children were dying from causes that were not usually fatal.
In October 1981, Jones’ colleague noticed a pattern in how many babies were dying from unexplained and sudden complications, and took her worries to the ICU’s head nurse. The hospital later conducted an internal inquiry and came to the realisation that Jones was present at the death of all the children. Later, the official report was not put on record and the killings continued.
This article will explore what happened during that time and how Jones was finally brought to justice.
The killer nurse
Born in July 1950, Genene Ann Jones is a female serial killer who is known to have killed around 60 children who were placed in her care. Jones was dubbed ‘the Angel of Death’ due to the number of children that suffered injuries at her hands. A lethal injection of digoxin, heparin and other drugs were administered to the infants. Sadly, in most cases, the victims did not survive the poison that was given to them and eventually passed away.
After Jones aroused suspicion in Bexar County, a report on her alleged malpractice took place. However, by the time the report had been undertaken, Jones had already moved to a clinic in Kerrville where the deathly patterns persisted. Officials lacked definitive proof that Genene Jones was to blame for the deaths, and the hospital was also worried about bad publicity and potential lawsuits.
So, the paediatric nurse was not fired from her position, nor was she convicted or stopped from nursing.
The final straw
The final straw was when a baby girl died at Kerrville after going for a routine check-up to get her vaccinations. A doctor at the practice noticed that there was a large puncture in a diluted bottle of succinylcholine, a drug that leaves people conscious but unable to breathe, and realised something was amiss.
The death of the 15-month-old girl named Chelsea Ann McClellan, led Jones to leave the clinic. There were also several other previous instances where children were poisoned there and officials noticed the emergencies stopped as soon as Jones left Kerrville.
The motive
According to investigators, theories for the malpractice centre around Jones wanting to create more medical emergencies to display the need for paediatric units. Kerrville has a large elderly population, so the need for paediatric nurses might not have been as sought after as other medical areas. Investigators also believe that Jones wanted herself and Dr Holland to look like heroes within their field – saving babies that appeared to be unwell.
These were the main theories surrounding why Genene Jones would conduct such heinous acts on innocent children, but the one thing the authorities could agree on was the state of Jones’ mental health and psychotic personality.
The sentencing
Two trials took place where Jones was sentenced. The first one was for the murder of 15-month-old Chelsea McClellan, and the second delved into Genene’s time at a different medical practice. In February 1984, at the first trial, Jones was sentenced to 99 years. The second trial saw the killer nurse sentenced to another 60 years. Jones was denied parole due to the testimony of the victim’s parents.
Set for release in 2018 due to prison overcrowding, Jones was later convicted of the murder of an 11-month-old boy called Joshua Earl Sawyer. The new charges meant that she would be prosecuted again based on the new charges and transferred to another prison.
The death of baby Joshua was the only instance where Genene Jones pleaded guilty.
“You took God’s most precious gift, babies, defenceless babies” – the judge at the trial said while addressing Ms Jones.
As of today, Jones is currently incarcerated in the Bexar County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail for both convictions.
