DOC NJ Charles Cullen
Charles Cullen was a New Jersey and Pennsylvania nurse turned serial killer who is believed to have murdered hundreds of people with lethal injections.
His story is being told in a new movie, “The Good Nurse,” which is streaming on Netflix. Eddie Redmayne plays Cullen, and Jessica Chastain plays Amy Loughren, who helped police catch Cullen in real life.
According to My Central New Jersey, Cullen is New Jersey’s “most prolific serial killer.”
It’s believed he murdered “up to 400 people,” the newspaper reports. According to Investigation Discovery Channel, Cullen admitted murdering 29 victims.
He “was convicted in 2006 for murdering 29 patients with rogue injections while he worked at New Jersey and Pennsylvania hospitals, including Hunterdon Medical Center and Somerset Medical Center,” the newspaper reported.
Where is Cullen today? What is he doing now?
Cullen Remains in Prison in New Jersey
DOCCharles Cullen
According to the New York Department of Corrections, Cullen remains incarcerated in that state. Today he is 62 years old.
His parole eligibility date is listed as June 10, 2388. He is being held in the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, New Jersey.
Cullen was spared the death penalty because he agreed to list his victims, My Central New Jersey reported.
Murderpedia lists Cullen’s known victims as:
John W. Yengo Sr., 72 / Lucy Mugavero, 90 / Mary Natoli, 85 / Helen Dean, 91 / LeRoy Sinn, 71 / Earl Young, 76 / Catherine Dext, 49 / Frank Mazzacco, 66 / Jesse Eichlin, 81 / Ottomar Schramm, 78 / Matthew Mattern, 22 / Irene Krapf, 79 / William Park, 72 / Samuel Spangler, 80 / Daniel George, 82 / Edward O’Toole, 76 / Eleanor Stoecker, 60 / Joyce E. Mangini, 74 / Giacomino J. Toto, 89 / John J. Shanagher, 83 / Dorthea K. Hoagland, 80 / Melvin T. Simcoe, 66 / Michael T. Strenko, 21 / Florian J. Gall, 68 / Pasquale M. Napolitano, 80 / Christopher B. Hardgrove, 38 / Krishnakant Upadhyay, 70 / James R. Strickland, 83 / Edward P. Zizik, 73.
Cullen Is Serving 11 Life Sentences
Cullen received 11 life sentences, CNN reported.
Investigation Discovery Channel reports that Cullen’s crimes occurred while he was “working at one nursing home in New Jersey and nine hospitals in Pennsylvania.”
“The serial killer would sneak into patients’ rooms and often inject his victims with lethal doses of drug cocktails,” Investigation Discovery explained.
He switched hospitals when people became suspicious, IDC continued.
When victims’ families had a chance to confront him in court, they did not mince words, with some calling Cullen “Satan’s son” or “monster,” according to CNN. Some of the murders occurred in Pennsylvania.
Dolores Stasienko “called Cullen a monster for killing her father, Jack Toto, whom she described as a hard-working farmer, mechanic and war veteran,” CNN reported.
“Burn in hell, Mr. Cullen, for all eternity,” she said, according to CNN.
“Am I boring you?” asked Deborah Yetter-Medina, whose grandmother was murdered by Cullen, according to CNN. “Look at me,” she demanded.
“Yes, I was the woman who coined the phrase ‘Satan’s son,'” she said. “You are Satan’s son.”
According to Murderpedia, Cullen was born in New Jersey to a bus driver father and stay-at-home mother. The family of eight kids was very Catholic. His father died when he was a baby.
“He first attempted suicide at the age of nine by drinking chemicals taken from a chemistry set. This would be the first of 20 such suicide attempts throughout his life,” Murderpedia reported.