Caught by Camera, Nurse Now Charged With Murder

2 others indicted in James Dempsey's 2014 death
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 22, 2018 9:35 AM CST

Nurses fired after a video appeared to show them ignoring a World War II veteran's calls for help before his death at a Georgia nursing home are now facing criminal charges, including a murder charge in one case. A grand jury on Tuesday indicted former licensed nurse Loyce Pickquet Agyeman on charges of felony murder, neglect to an elder person, and concealing a death following a police investigation triggered by 11Alive's airing of hidden camera footage from inside Northeast Atlanta Health and Rehabilitation. It showed Agyeman, former licensed nurse Wanda Nuckles, and nursing assistant Mable Turman inside the room of 89-year-old James Dempsey, who fell unconscious and ultimately died on Feb 27, 2014, after repeatedly calling for help while struggling to breathe.

The footage—from a camera set up by family members who reached a settlement with the nursing home, per Law & Crime—showed staff laughing as they tried to start an oxygen machine. It also conflicted with a video deposition in which Nuckles claimed she'd given Dempsey CPR continuously until paramedics arrived. Staff didn't call 911 for almost an hour, 11Alive previously reported. Also indicted Tuesday, Nuckles is charged with depriving an elder person of essential services and concealing a death, while Turman—who remains certified—is charged with neglect and concealing a death. Arrest warrants for all three have been issued, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, though it's not clear if they are yet in custody. A trial date is pending. (More Georgia stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X