Heather Pressdee

{{Infobox Serial Killer

| name = Heather Pressdee

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|08|28}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| victims = 3 confirmed, up to 17 possible

| criminal_penalty = Life imprisonment

| criminal_status = Incarcerated

| country = United States

| states = Pennsylvania

| targets =

| motive =

| conviction = {{bulleted list|First degree murder (3 counts)|Attempted murder (19 counts)}}

| apprehended = May 25, 2023

| beginyear = 2022

| endyear = 2023

| weapons =

}}

Heather Irene Pressdee (born August 28, 1982) is an American nurse and convicted serial killer. She is serving life imprisonment, having been convicted of murdering three patients by lethal injection, and is connected to the deaths of 17 in total, which took place in Western Pennsylvania.

Early life

The daughter of Michael and Bonita Pressdee, Pressdee was born on August 28, 1982. She is the oldest of two children. From 2003 to 2004, she attended the Community College of Allegheny County, although she did not graduate. She went on to become a registered veterinary technician before returning to get her nursing degree.{{cite news |last1=Guza |first1=Megan |title='Killer nurse' Heather Pressdee pleads guilty in deaths of 17 Western Pa. nursing home patients |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2024/05/02/heather-pressdee-killer-nurse/stories/202405010131 |access-date=16 May 2024 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=2 May 2024}}

Crimes

Pressdee had intentionally administered lethal doses of insulin to nursing patients throughout five nursing homes in Pennsylvania. The first two victims she was charged with murdering were 55-year-old James Bartoe and 83-year-old Joseph Campbell, both of whom had died on December 4 and 25, 2022, respectively.{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/05/26/pa-nurse-heather-pressdee-murder-charges/70260165007/|title=Pennsylvania nurse charged with homicide in patient deaths: 'Deliberate and intentional'|author=Natalie Neysa Alund|publisher=USA Today|date=May 26, 2023}} Her third victim was 43-year-old Nicholas Cymbol, who died on May 1, 2023.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/butler-nursing-home-wrongful-death-lawsuit-nurse-heather-pressdee/|title=Another Pittsburgh-area care facility hit with lawsuit for employing nurse accused of killing patients with insulin|first1=Madeline|last1=Bartos|first2=Ross|last2=Guidotti|publisher=CBS News|date=March 27, 2024}}

Pressdee claimed she believed she was ending the suffering of a lot of people by doing what she did.{{Cite web |last=Limehouse |first=Jonathan |title='Pure evil': Pennsylvania nurse connected to 17 patient deaths sentenced to hundreds of years |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/05/02/heather-pressdee-nurse-insulin-sentenced/73546683007/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}

Arrest and trial

Pressdee was arrested in May 2023. She had been charged in relation to three murders and 19 attempts to commit murder.{{cite news |last1=Balarajan |first1=Brammhi |last2=Sykes |first2=Jillian |last3=Alvarado |first3=Caroll |last4=Yan |first4=Holly |title='She's pure evil': Nurse gets life in prison after admitting she intentionally gave patients excess insulin, prosecutors say |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/02/us/nurse-heather-pressdee-sentenced-patient-deaths-pennsylvania |access-date=16 May 2024 |work=CNN |date=3 May 2024 |language=en}} In total, she is connected to the deaths of 17 patients.{{Cite news |last=Mayorquín |first=Orlando |date=2023-11-03 |title=Former Pennsylvania Nurse Is Linked to 17 Nursing Home Deaths |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/03/us/pennsylvania-nurse-insulin-deaths.html |access-date=2024-05-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |title=Western Pa. Nurse Charged with Additional Crimes for Administering Excessive Doses of Insulin to 19 More Patients |url=https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/taking-action/western-pa-nurse-charged-with-additional-crimes-for-administering-excessive-doses-of-insulin-to-19-more-patients/ |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General |language=en}} In order to avoid the death penalty, Pressdee pleaded guilty on all counts. The murders in which she ultimately pleaded guilty to were of James Bartoe, 55, Gerald Shrum, 90 and Nicholas Cymbol, 43.{{cite news|url=https://triblive.com/local/regional/ex-nurse-pressdee-pleads-guilty-to-killing-nursing-home-patients/|title='She is evil personified': Victims' families face killer nurse Heather Pressdee in court|last=Ward|first=Paula|work=Pittsburgh Tribune-Review|date=May 2, 2024}} On May 2, 2024, she was sentenced to three consecutive terms of life imprisonment, as well as 380 to 760 additional years. She is currently incarcerated at SCI Muncy.{{Cite web |title=Inmate/Parolee Locator |url=https://inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov/#/Result |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov}}