Vickie Dawn Jackson was known as the sweet, soft-spoken nurse who worked nights at Nocona General Hospital in Texas. She was by all accounts a professional who took her job very seriously.
“She received compliments as a caring person,” said Barbara Perry, the hospital’s director of nursing. “She did everything that was asked of her,” added another nurse who worked with her, “and she never seemed upset about what she had to do.”
That's why it was even more stunning when the truth came out that Jackson killed at least 10 of her patients using the muscle relaxant Mivacron.
Vickie Jackson Killed At Least 10 Patients At The Hospital
From December 11, 2000, to February 18, 2001, according to law enforcement officials, Vickie murdered ten patients at Nocona General Hospital, most likely killed another ten, and attempted to murder five more.
All of the victims who died were between the ages of 62 and 100 and had previously been in healthy condition. She also targeted a teen girl who survived the attempted murder.
Authorities Realized Vials Of The Drug Mivacron Were Missing From The Hospital
After rumors started to swirl, the hospital's administrator, Charles E. Norris found that vials of Mivacron had been going missing, which was initially ascribed to inventory mismanagement, as it was not considered a lethal substance.
After consulting with the pharmacist, and tracing that all of the deaths occurred during one particular shift, Norris ordered that the cabinets with Mivacron be locked up and accessed only by the supervisors. More than 20 vials of the drug were missing and a syringe with traces of the drug was found in the nurse's garbage, officials found.
As the investigation continued, the hospital’s administrators learned that Vickie was not only working at the time of every respiratory arrest but that she was often the last staffer who had been seen checking on the patients who had died. This led the staff to become extra suspicious of her and that she was involved in the deaths.
Police Exhumed Bodies To Test Them For The Potent Drug
The local police, the Texas Rangers, and the FBI launched a joint investigation to look at the deaths of more than 20 patients who may have been poisoned with Mivacron. This work included exhuming bodies for testing.
Her victims included in her criminal case include:
Donna Alice Jennings, 100, on December 11, 2000;
Sanford Ray Mitchel, 62, on December 20, 2000;
James Wesley Gore, 80, on December 29, 2000;
Jimmy Ray Holder, 65, on January 7, 2001;
Dorothy Jean Vandenburg, 78, on January 7, 2001;
J. T. Nichols, 80, on January 11, 2001;
John Walter Williams, 78, on January 11, 2001;
Omo Ovella Glenn Wyler, 95, on January 24, 2001;
Orvel Lee Moore, Jr., 82, on January 30, 2001;
Everett E. Jackson, 92, on February 4, 2001
Jackson Was Arrested On July 16, 2002, On Murder Charges
Jackson was arrested on July 16, 2002, on charges of four capital murders. She had already been fired from her nursing job at the time and was working at a local grocery store.
In January 2004, Jackson was charged with an additional six murders, and her bond was raised from $ 2 million to $ 6 million.
Vickie Dawn Jackson Pleaded No Contest To Capital Murder
In October of 2006, Vickie Dawn Jackson pleaded no contest to capital murder. A life sentence was automatic because prosecutors were not seeking the death penalty.
Following her conviction, she released a statement proclaiming her innocence and expressing her sympathy for the families of the victims. She and the defense team attended an evidentiary hearing in 2015, but nothing came of it.
She is incarcerated at the Christina Melton Crain Unit in Gatesville, with her earliest possible parole date being in 2042.
]]>The Inquisitr
