A Columbus, Ohio doctor was found not guilty by a jury for providing high quantities of the painkiller fentanyl to fourteen hospital patients who all ended up dying, ABC News reports.
Dr. William Husel, 46, was charged in the deaths of the patients, all of whom were seeking care in Mount Carmel Health System, and each of whom was found to have been administered at least 500 micrograms of fentanyl within minutes of their deaths.
Husel has claimed that he was simply trying to ease the pain of terminally ill patients and that he was not attempting to cause their deaths. Assisting a suicide is a felony in Ohio.
Prosecutors, however, claim that Husel was simply a murderer who wanted to kill people. They cite the case of 82-year-old Melissa Penix, whom Husel dosed with 2,000 mcg of fentanyl. Independent medical professionals who reviewed Mrs. Penix’s case testified the patient didn’t have a terminal illness, and Mrs. Penix’s daughter testified that her mother wasn’t suicidal.