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foreign [Music] s deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
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and for a more detailed list of content warnings please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
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website Ed Chambers would do anything for his wife Marguerite the couple who lived in the city of
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Grand Rapids Michigan were a team together they had provided a safe and a loving home for four children and built
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successful careers but in 1972 Ed noticed a change in Marguerite's personality he's highly intelligent and quick-witted
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wife became forgetful and Confused after seeking medical advice the couple received devastating news
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at 42 years old Marguerite had Alzheimer's Disease an incurable type of dementia that destroys memory and
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thinking skills over the following years Marguerite became frail and was unable to carry out
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the simplest of everyday tasks Ed took an early retirement to help his wife but by the early 1980s he accepted
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that Marguerite needed round of the clock Care by professionals live-in Care Facilities around Grand
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Rapids at that time were few and far between so Marguerite's name was added to a long list of applicants
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after a two-year wait a bed became available at Alpine Manor situated on the outskirts of Grand
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Rapids and backing onto a densely wooded area the 208-bed nursing home was only three blocks from the chamber's house
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this meant Ed could visit Marguerite as often as he wanted he couldn't believe his luck
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when Ed Chambers approached the single-story brick facility he was greeted by the director of nursing who
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gave him a tour Alpine Mana was divided into four wings each Wing had its own nursing station
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the facility was very clean and the staff were polite and well presented in a common area residents sat together
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chatting and playing games Ed had anticipated that the nursing home would be sterile and cold so he was
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delighted to see that the floors were carpeted curtains hung from the windows and artwork lined to the walls
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residents could visit a beauty shop and there was a designated dining room for meals
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there were even craft activities and Social Studies classes on offer [Music] although Ed felt immense guilt at having
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to move Margaret into Alpine Manor its homely atmosphere helped ease some of the pain
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the director of nursing reassured Ed telling him that Alpine Manor had been assessed by the Michigan Health
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Department as a standout nursing home facility by the mid-1980s Marguerite Chambers
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could no longer walk or talk she spent all day in bed often curled in a ball and rocking back and forth
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Ed still visited her every day the minute Marguerite heard his voice she stopped rocking and reached her hand
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up for him to take he sat beside her holding her hand and talking to her occasionally she would make eye contact
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Ed knew that she still recognized him each night Ed talked Margaret into bed and left her to the care of the staff at
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Alpine Manor [Music] [Music] thank you 23 year old Kathy Wood dreamed of working in healthcare
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she had done voluntary work as a nursing assistant in high school and enjoyed helping people
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at age 17 Kathy's career was put on hold when she became pregnant now that her daughter was at school
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Kathy was eager to rekindle her passion for nursing a nursing home a few blocks away was
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hiring Alpine Manor Kathy Wood impressed the management with her enthusiasm she was hired as a nursing aide and
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started immediately some residents only needed minor help such as assistance with getting dressed
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or showering others were high needs residents who required help with daily living such as eating and drinking
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bathing and turning in bed to prevent pressure sores before long Kathy came to know every
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resident and their specific needs she was a hard worker intelligent and easy to talk to
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before long she became a valued member of Alpine Manor's staff being a night owl Kathy gravitated
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towards the night shift it was less busy than day shifts and gave her more time to socialize with her co-workers
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nursing aides joked that Kathy was like one of the cool kids at high school because her colleagues followed her
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around hanging off every word she said Kathy Wood wasn't used to the attention she had struggled with her weight her
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entire life reaching almost 450 pounds after the birth of her daughter as a result she spent most of her
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married life indoors fearful of the Judgment of strangers but at Alpine manner Kathy was showered
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with compliments she began taking double shifts just to spend more time with her colleagues
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over the following months Kathy's husband can watched as she changed before his eyes
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most of Kathy's days off were spent socializing with alpine Manor staff she never used to drink alcohol but
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returned home from these get-togethers drunk and high on cannabis the once dedicated stay-at-home wife and
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mother now had a little interest in spending time with her daughter and fought with Ken often
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when they weren't fighting Kathy told Ken or the worker gossip love triangles among the nursing aides
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were common as were drunken threesomes and to altercations between love rivals fighting among staff members often
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occurred at work while residents listened on unable to extricate themselves from the toxic environment
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as Kathy pumped Ken full of Staff Secrets he often thought to himself what the hell is going on at Alpine
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Manor in September 1986 less than six months after Kathy Woods started working at
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Alpine Manor she told Ken that she had fallen in love with someone else an 18 year old fellow nursing aide named Dawn
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after seven years of marriage Kathy wanted a divorce Ken believed she was going through a
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phase and would return to him in the meantime he took their daughter to live in a hotel while Kathy remained
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in their family home without Ken at home Kathy needed help paying the bills a staff member introduced her to a new
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nurse's aide at Alpine Manor 22 year old Gwendolyn Graham who went by the name Gwen
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Gwen had no previous experience in nursing but had taken on the role as a stepping stone to become a paramedic
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Alpine Mana was chronically understaffed so like Kathy Gwen had been hired on the
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spot Kathy and Gwen hit it off immediately having recently broken up with her girlfriend Gwen was looking for a place
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to stay and it jumped at the chance to move in with Kathy within a week of Gwen moving in Kathy
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had broken up with Dawn and she and Gwen began dating Alpine Manor's nursing staff were amused
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at the couple's appearance Gwen was athletically built weighing 140 pounds and was five foot two with
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freckles sent to Ginger mallard Kathy was six foot tall with a large frame blue eyes and bleached blonde hair
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the staff joked that the pair completed each other Kathy provided the brains in the relationship while Gwen provided the
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brawn Kathy and Gwen bonded over their troubled upbringings Kathy's father had been a strict
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disciplinarian often resorting to physical violence her mother took a back seat and left the
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care of her other children to Kathy who was responsible for making sure they were looked after
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Gwen had been the victim of child sexual abuse at the hands of her own father she self-harmed in her teens describing
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it as a way of freeing herself from the pain of her childhood both Kathy and Gwen knew they were
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carrying a lot of emotional baggage there was also something else they harbored hatred for their elderly parents
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death said Alpine Manor were common on average five to ten residents passed each month from conditions relating to
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old age flu season saw the death toll climb even higher it wasn't long after Gwen Graham started
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that she witnessed her first death an elderly woman named Helen who died from pneumonia
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Gwen appeared devastated at the loss but after Helen had been transported to the
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funeral home the tears stopped Gwen told her colleagues I couldn't stand Helen I couldn't stand
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that woman all she did was whine all the time about a month after Gwen started working
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at Alpine Manor another new nursing aide was on the night shift when a resident pressed the call button next to their
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bed the room was occupied by two residents so the nursing Aid entered quietly and
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in the dark as she approached the bedside the aide could see that the resident was sound
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asleep as she searched for the call button to see how it had been pressed on its own
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the aid felt a tight grip around her ankle she fled the room screaming waking Alpine Manor's residence
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moments later Gwen Graham emerged from underneath the residence bed laughing hysterically while other aides comforted
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the frightened residents Gwen played practical jokes on her fellow staff almost every night at the
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expense of the residence of Alpine Manor when coming on shift Gwen would turn their beds around so the bottom of the
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bed was where the headboard should have been when this got old she moved to Residence
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into different rooms to surprise and confuse nursing AIDS Gwen pulled all the wire screens from
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the windows that backed onto the courtyard so she could make a hasty Retreat if the charge nurse was coming
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she also hid in the courtyard at night to bang on the windows and to scare staff
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it also terrified the residents nighthouse supervisor Tish Prescott was sick of the shenanigans
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she knew a lot of the trouble stamped from Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham they used the PA system to gossip about
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other staff and had residents with speech impediments read announcements just to laugh at them
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tirish had tried to separate the women but they swapped shifts with other AIDS so they could remain working together
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had resorted to sneaking up on the pair to keep her eye on them she often found them alone in Residence rooms
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tiesh had also heard reports of nursing AIDS sneaking off to spend time together
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in unoccupied beds rumors circulated that Gwen Graham had sex with an orderly in one of the
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residents rooms Tisch took her concerns about Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham to the director of
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nursing saying those two are just no good for each other she pleaded for something to be done
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explaining that Resident care was suffering as a result upper management declared that they
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weren't in a position to step in whatever the staff chose to do on their breaks was out of their control
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[Music] one night Gwen Graham came to work so drunk that she couldn't walk in a straight line
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Tish Prescott sent her home and reported Gwen to management expecting she would be fired
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however Gwen was back on shift the following night [Music] [Laughter] at 4 30 one morning in December 1986
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Nancy Hahn was woken by her telephone ringing the caller identified herself as a nurse
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from Alpine Manor she explained that Nancy's mother Bell burkhard a resident of the facility had
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declined quickly in health Bell wasn't expected to make it through the day Nancy lived three hours drive away from
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Alpine Manor she couldn't afford to miss work that day so after a long anxious shift she raced to her railing mother
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she hoped and prayed that she'd still be alive to say her goodbyes Nancy arrived at Alpine Manor and rushed
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to Belle's room her bed was empty Nancy inquired at the nursing station none of the nurses knew where bell
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burkhard was they appeared bemused when Nancy told them she had received a phone call in
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the early hours from a nurse telling her that her mother was about to pass away Belle burkhard was discovered sitting at
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a dining room table alive and like her normal self Nancy fed her dinner and then stopped to
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talk to the charge nurse who checked the record nobody had logged a call to Nancy
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furthermore there were no staff notes indicating concerns for her mother's health
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it became clear that Nancy had been the victim of a cruel hoax Corps from the night shift
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the charge nurse checked who had been working that shift one name stood out Kathy Wood
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at the end of 1986 an anonymous complaint was made to the Michigan Health Department regarding the level of
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care at Alpine Manor there were reports of residents sitting in soiled incontinence aids for hours
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and only being bathed once a week staffed turnover was cited as the main reason for the lack of care
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112 nurses aides had been hired during that year by October 71 had left to quell public concern Alpine Manor was
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subject to an unannounced visit from a health inspector a lot had changed in recent years one
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staff member described Alpine Manor as having an eerie atmosphere residents were treated like children
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staff spoke to them in childlike voices and styled the female resident's long hair into pigtails
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the craft room now only contained children's coloring books and a few crayons cartoon pictures and drawings were taped
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to the walls residents reliant on wheelchairs were pushed together with nothing to keep
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them occupied meanwhile a local radio station blasted over the PA system to drown out the
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screams from residents with dementia following the visit from the health inspector a report was issued
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it found that Alpine Manor was safely practicing within State guidelines no further follow-up was needed
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despite the ongoing issues caused during their employment both Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham continued to receive praise
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from upper management they regarded the women as extremely hard workers both often pulled double shifts to make
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up for understaffing on a competency test issued by the State Health Department Gwen scored a 97 mark
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on her test shade The Examiner wrote the word great on every page and to Drew a big smiley face
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they were particularly impressed with Gwen's use of washcloths on her exam paper Gwen wrote that she
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rolled them up into log shapes and put them in the palms of residents clenched hands to stop their fingernails from
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digging into their skin she always carried washcloths with her and could be seen with at least one
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flapping from the back pocket of her pants at all times Kathy and Gwen had a tired Friendship
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Circle of fellow nursing aides but there were a few staff members who saw through
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their charade they regarded Kathy and Gwen as bullies and Liars who ruled through intimidation
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Kathy once complained about a fellow Aid she didn't like to a superior saying that the aid wasn't changing
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incontinence AIDS overnight the charge nurse accompanied Kathy and found a resident lying in a puddle of
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urine later it transpired that Kathy had asked Gwen to pour cups of water over the
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resident's legs to make them soaking wet [Music] as detailed in the book forever and five
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days by Lowell Caufield Gwen later said everybody was scared of Kathy Kathy would [ __ ] with you that was just her
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thing and everybody knew it it kinda made me feel good because she was my girl and as long as she was my
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girl nobody was going to [ __ ] with me one morning a nursing aide was working with Kathy to dress a particularly
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difficult resident all day he screamed and yelled yet whenever he saw Kathy Wood he quietened
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straight away nurses had previously joked about Kathy's ability to silence the man
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on this occasion the nursing aide asked Kathy how she managed to quiet him just watch Kathy said
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she proceeded to whisper something into the man's ear within seconds he became fearful and
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silent the aid asked Kathy what she had said with a smile she replied I said go ahead Scream one more time
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but look at me I'm bigger than you I'm huge in fact you are helpless I am not you scream one more time and I will kill
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you and there will be nothing you can do to stop me the aid considered reporting Kathy
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Wood's remark to management but she was too frightened of the Fallout from Kathy
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and Gwen and chose to keep it to herself nights later a nursing aide named La Donna was working the night shift when
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she answered the call button of 87 year old Clara Pierce Clara had been at Alpine Manor for six
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years and suffered from dementia she was still quite lucid and could hold conversations with the staff
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as soon as Ladonna entered her room Clara screamed they're gonna kill me they whispered to me that they are going
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to kill me Clara had recently been found wandering the Halls at night so the doctor had
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ordered that her wrists be tied to the bed while she was sleeping Ladonna released Clara and escorted her
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to the bathroom and back to bed as Ladonna reapplied Clara's restraints she begged not to be tied up yelling
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you don't understand they're coming to kill me Ladonna reassured Clara that no one was
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coming to kill her Ladonna turned off the light and left Clara alone strapped to her bed
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[Music] on Christmas Day 1986 Ed Chambers drove to Alpine Manor to visit his wife
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Marguerite he was joined by his daughter Jen who had some warm clothing to give her
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ailing mother Margaret's room in Alpine Manor always seemed to be cold and Marguerite often
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kicked off her bed sheets with her rocking movements upon arriving at Alpine Manor Jan
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noticed the dried food caked around her mother's mouth indicating that she hadn't been cleaned since her last meal
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Jan found a washcloth and to dampened it when she went to wipe her mother's face
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with it Margaret jumped she turned her head from side to side refusing to have her mouth cleaned
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Margarita's Alzheimer's prevented her from speaking so Jan couldn't ask her what was wrong
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but when she looked into her mother's eyes she saw something she would never forget
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absolute Terror during the week prior Marguerite Chambers had been looked after by two
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nurses more than any others Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham post-christmas Marguerite was not
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herself she was feverish and appeared to have gone downhill physically nobody could pinpoint why
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[Music] a little under a month later on Sunday January 18 1987 Etta Chambers returned to Alpine Manor
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Margaret made rocking movements in bed as Ed held her hand and talked to her for an hour
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at 8pm he said good night and left 30 minutes later a nursing aide found Marguerite Chambers unresponsive in bed
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efforts to revive her failed and Marguerite was pronounced to Dad she was 60 years old
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one by one nursing staff went into Marguerite's room to pay their respects among them were Kathy Wood and Gwen
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Graham as per protocol following a death at Alpine Manor the charge nurse phoned the
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facility's on-call doctor it was a Sunday night and he didn't want to drive through the heavy snow to
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examine Margaret's body in person instead he ordered her to be transferred to the mortuary over the phone
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the following day the doctor signed Marguerite's death certificate without having seen her body
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under the cause of death he wrote heart attack three weeks later on the morning of
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Tuesday February 3 a registered nurse began her shift at Alpine Manor she soon noticed that a 95 year old
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resident named Myrtle loose had blood dripping from her nose the nurse applied a compress and made a
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note of the incident but didn't think any more about it a series of strokes and organic brain
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syndrome had robbed the murder of her normal functions although she was somewhat aware of what
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was going on around her she could no longer walk or talk murders spent the majority of her time
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curled up in bed in the fetal position the only time Myrtle seemed to know what was going on around her was when her son
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came to visit when she saw him murder all changed instantly she smiled and patted his face
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because of her High care needs Kathy Wood openly complained to her colleagues that she didn't like Myrtle loose
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she found her too difficult to take care of a week after Myrtle was treated for her
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unexplained bloody nose a nurse aide found her deceased in bed this time her nose was covered in mucus
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and looked bruised on the mattress beside Myrtle's body was a rolled up washcloth
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Myrtle's body was sent directly to the mortuary by the Alpine Manor doctor without examination as in the case of
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Margaret Chambers and like that incident the doctor listed Myrtle's cause of death as heart attack
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Moto's loved ones were surprised by the news of her sudden death she had undergone a physical exam just
00:27:23
the days earlier during which the doctor had described her heart health as impeccable
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following Myrtle's funeral her family panned a card to the Alpine Manor staff to thank them for the care and
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compassion they had shown Myrtle while she was alive it was pinned to the staff bulletin
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board Days Later Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham invited Kathy's ex-girlfriend Dawn over
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to their place as they sat in the living room drinking Gwen casually mentioned that she had
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been responsible for murder's death Gwen asked the dawn if she wanted to say proof
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Dawn followed Gwen and Kathy into the bedroom on a shelf lay a single sock this belonged to her Gwen said
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Dawn was well aware of the Twisted pranks and Mind Games the couple often played
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she passed off the comment as a sick joke Kathy was known to steal from the residents of Alpine Manor once taking a
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residence rosary beads to hang from the rearview mirror of her truck the more Dawn thought about it the more
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she believed that the pair had just stolen a sock or that it belonged to Kathy Dawn told herself
00:28:49
Gwen's just [ __ ] with me on the morning of Monday February 16 1987 an Alpine Manor nursing Aid named
00:29:02
Sean peered into the room of 79 year old resident May Mason May who had Alzheimer's disease was
00:29:11
awake she fidgeted with her hands in bed and seemed agitated Sean took a damp washcloth to freshen
00:29:19
May wiping it over her face and hands but this only heightened Mae's distress she kept clutching at the washcloth not
00:29:29
wanting it to touch her skin Sean tried to calm Mei but had to check on other residents
00:29:36
she rolled me from her side onto her back and tucked her in pulling the covers to her neck
00:29:43
when she left May was wide awake two hours later Sean checked on me again her skin had turned gray and her
00:29:55
fingernails were now blue her pulse was imperceptible and she was pronounced deceased at 4am
00:30:06
Sean was devastated and sought support from her colleagues fellow a de Gwen Graham did her best to
00:30:13
comfort her May Mason's cause of death was listed as Cardiac Arrest by her family physician
00:30:22
her death came six days after Myrtle loose the next day 74 year old Alpine Manor
00:30:32
resident Belle burkhard was found to have bruising to her face particularly around her nose and right cheek
00:30:40
the injuries were reported to management as Belle often suffered from seizures they put the injuries down to an
00:30:49
unwitnessed seizure during the night it was assumed she must have hit her head on the bed's metal railings
00:30:58
the nurse assigned to Belle that night was Kathy Wood she was never questioned about it and it
00:31:05
wasn't investigated further Kathy often complained to other staff about Bill burkhard's High care needs
00:31:14
she didn't like Belle the feeling was Mutual Bell made it difficult for Kathy to turn
00:31:22
her often gripping onto bed bars whenever Kathy tried to verbally intimidate her Belle would just laugh in
00:31:31
her face at 3am on Thursday February 26 Kathy volunteered to supervise the nurses
00:31:39
station while the other staff went on break bill burkhard was found deceased a few
00:31:46
hours later the nursing aide who found her noticed that Belle's arm was positioned at an
00:31:53
odd angle underneath her body when Belle's body was bathed for the funeral home the aide noticed that the
00:32:01
same arm was badly bruised nobody knew why of Kathy Wood's nursing friends suggested that the bruising might have
00:32:11
been caused from the nursing Aid not turning Bell during the night the matter was dismissed
00:32:19
Bell was released to the mortuary without a doctor viewing her body the cause of death was listed as a heart
00:32:27
attack like Myrtle Luce's family Bill burkards couldn't believe what had happened
00:32:33
[Music] during a checkup a week prior the doctor had mentioned her heart was fine
00:32:40
[Music] as the number of sudden deaths in Alpine Manor grew Kathy Wood Gwen Graham and
00:32:51
their alpine Manor cohorts became increasingly out of control the couple would host wild parties at
00:32:58
their home on their days off during which staff in attendance would run down the street topless
00:33:05
for no discernible reason the disorderly group would get into physical fights with each other at pubs and clubs
00:33:11
resulting in serious injuries nursing Aid Ladonna had two of her teeth knocked out during one inexplicable
00:33:19
altercation in the book forever and five days Ladonna said we had all gone crazy we didn't care for
00:33:30
each other's feelings we didn't have any feelings one day in April 1987 a nursing aide
00:33:39
named Catherine snuck through the back door of Alpine Manor and into the director of nursing's office
00:33:46
with a black eye her arm in a sling and a cracked rib Catherine didn't want to be seen by her colleagues so she asked
00:33:53
for time off initially brushing off her injuries as the result of an accident the truth was
00:34:01
soon uncovered Kathy Wood had allured Catherine to a deserted area on the outskirts of Grand
00:34:07
Rapids with the pretense of hooking up other nursing aides were also there watching an amusement as Gwen Graham
00:34:16
confronted Catherine she knocked her to the ground then punched and kicked her repeatedly in the
00:34:23
chest and stomach Gwen was called into the office and asked if this story was true
00:34:31
smiling Gwen explained I wouldn't do something like that she left the office and faced no
00:34:41
repercussions the incident had staff terrified of Kathy and Gwen with many refusing to
00:34:49
work with them reports continued to flood management about the pair's toxic Behavior
00:34:56
yet when given a report about Kathy's bullying the Alpine Manor manager ripped it up and threw it in the bin
00:35:04
she was friends with Kathy and didn't want her to get into trouble instead the manager decided to separate
00:35:12
Kathy from the aides that were making the allegations against her Kathy was called into the manager's
00:35:19
office and was given the good news she had been promoted [Music] she was now in charge of nursing Aids on
00:35:28
her shift [Music] many of Kathy Wood's work friends were thrilled with her promotion
00:35:43
but there was one who wasn't Gwen Graham she believed she worked harder than Kathy and she should have been the one
00:35:51
promoted it made things difficult at home Kathy and Gwen argued often with the fights often culminating in violence
00:36:01
the walls of their house were damaged with holes as a result of punches thrown in fits of anger
00:36:08
when Kathy learned Gwen had sex with another nursing aide she became Furious yelling so loudly that her screams were
00:36:15
heard from down the street when Gwen tried to leave the house Kathy dragged her back in by her hair and
00:36:22
slapped her repeatedly she was often seen at work covered in scratches and bruises
00:36:30
by mid-1987 Gwen had had enough she moved out of Kathy's home and into a trailer
00:36:38
joining Gwen was her new girlfriend a 21 year old nursing aide from Alpine Manor
00:36:43
named Heather baraja Heather who had never been in a relationship before told Gwen she was
00:36:50
madly in love with her together they hatched a plan they would leave Grand Rapids and return
00:36:58
to Gwen's Hometown in Texas to start over Kathy found out and visited Gwen demanding she returned home
00:37:07
after an argument Gwen agreed Kathy took her to the bedroom where they had sex as detailed in forever and five days as
00:37:19
Gwen lay on the bed Kathy retrieved some restraints she had taken from Alpine Manor
00:37:25
she tied Gwen's wrists to the bed then she walked to the foot of the bed in her hands was a loaded gun that
00:37:34
belonged to Gwen Kathy inserted The Gun Barrel into Gwen's body threatening I'll kill you
00:37:44
Kathy left Gwen tied up for three hours when she returned Kathy removed the gun and untied her
00:37:52
[Music] after a discussion Kathy agreed it was over between them Gwen returned to her girlfriend Heather
00:38:01
she asked why Gwen dropped everything to please Kathy Gwen responded Kathy has something over me
00:38:12
Gwen and Heather decided now was the time to act in August 1987 they packed their
00:38:19
belongings into Gwen's car and fled for Texas [Music] with nowhere else to turn Kathy Wood
00:38:30
returned to her ex-husband Ken she told him she and Gwen had done things she was afraid of
00:38:38
she wanted to tell Ken but he had to promise her first that he would keep it secret
00:38:44
he gave her his word after a moment's silence Kathy said to him what's the worst thing you could think
00:38:53
of to do to someone Ken replied murder would be the worst thinking there was no way Kathy would
00:39:03
murder someone he was completely taken aback when she replied well try six times
00:39:13
Kathy told Ken about one of the residents they had killed 97 year old Edith cook
00:39:19
Edith was one of the most popular residents among staff and other residents at Alpine Manor
00:39:26
she had been there for six years once telling a social worker that Alpine Manor is Grand everything is all very
00:39:34
lovely she spent her days visiting and chatting to other residents but in the months
00:39:42
before her death Edith's Health had deteriorated rapidly one night she was found with her legs
00:39:49
poking through the metal bars on her bed pressure sores developed which turned into painful gangrene
00:39:57
Edith's condition was deemed to be palliative meaning that she would not survive
00:40:03
at 2 30 on the morning of Thursday April 7 1987 Edith cook was found deceased in
00:40:10
her bed the Night Nurse assigned to her care was Kathy Wood also working on the wing that night was
00:40:20
Gwen Graham in an effort to understand what his ex-wife had just confessed Ken asked if
00:40:28
Kathy and Gwen killed people to enter their pain and suffering Kathy replied no we did it for fun
00:40:40
[Music] Kathy went on to detail her experiences the idea to murder residents at Alpine
00:40:51
Manor arose one day has she and Gwen sat at their dining table doing the morning
00:40:55
crossword puzzle work had been getting boring and the pair had always wondered what it would
00:41:02
be like to kill they chose 60 year old Marguerite Chambers to be their first victim
00:41:10
on the night of Sunday January 18 1987 after Marguerite's husband left for the night Kathy said she and Gwen approached
00:41:19
her room keeping watch by the door Kathy made sure the coast was clear as Gwen slipped
00:41:27
inside she held two washcloths rolled into log shapes Kathy claimed that Gwen took one
00:41:35
washcloth and positioned it under Marguerite's chin to support her jaw she placed the other washcloth over
00:41:42
Marguerite's nose then she squeezed hard Marguerite thrashed in bed trying to free herself but Gwen easily overpowered
00:41:53
the ailing woman Margaret then went limp Gwen slipped out without drawing attention from anyone else and walked
00:42:03
back to her assigned wing both she and Kathy were tending to other residents when Marguerite was found
00:42:09
deceased less than 30 minutes later this was not the first time Kathy and Gwen had tried to kill Margaret
00:42:19
they had attempted the same method a month prior Kathy explained that it had all gone to
00:42:26
plan they waited for the nursing Aid assigned to Marguerite care to find her dad
00:42:33
but Gwen had only rendered Marguerite unconscious from this failed experience Gwen learned
00:42:40
she needed to suffocate her victim for a few minutes after they stopped moving this attempted murder explained why
00:42:48
Margaret Chambers had been so terrified of having her face cleaned with a washcloth
00:42:55
Kathy gave a strange explanation as to why they targeted Marguerite Chambers first
00:43:02
at Alpine Manor there was a log book every time a resident passed away their name was entered into the book with one
00:43:10
entry per line Marguerite started with the letter m if they could find another five
00:43:18
residents to kill with the initials they were looking for then running down the page they could spell out the word
00:43:24
murder but their plan was too hard the residence they needed to make the murder acronym were active and to lucid
00:43:35
instead the couple chose victims who were non-verbal or suffering Advanced dementia
00:43:41
that way if they survived the Suffocation they would not be able to tell anyone even if they did no one would believe
00:43:50
them Kathy and Gwen pinched her residents noses while they lay in bed to see how
00:43:56
they would react to having their Air Supply cut off suddenly if one put up too much of a fight the
00:44:03
pair moved on to someone else this was why some residents were found with unexplained bruising or bloody
00:44:10
noses when it was time to carry out the killings Gwen used washcloths to prevent
00:44:16
any bruising that could raise suspicion [Music] according to Kathy Gwen said she felt
00:44:24
more relaxed after killing someone saying it helped to wheeze her attention Kathy and Gwen believed that sharing the
00:44:32
secret of the murders would bind them together forever [Music] Ken struggled with what to do with the
00:44:43
information Kathy had given him he wanted to believe it was a fabricated story but he didn't want to dismiss it
00:44:50
entirely over a year passed as Ken agonized over what to do during this time he kept Kathy's
00:44:59
confession to himself as she continued to work at Alpine Manor on Thursday October 6 1988 Ken was
00:45:09
driving past the police station when he made a last minute decision he went inside to report Kathy's
00:45:16
allegations when asked why he had waited so long to come forward Ken explained I didn't want to destroy my life and I
00:45:26
didn't want to destroy her life by turning her in but I felt I should find out if Kathy was dangerous
00:45:33
I know she can hate with the best of them the following day Kathy Wood was at work
00:45:40
when a detective arrived at Alpine Manor he found Kathy wandering the hall and told her he was taking her in for
00:45:48
questioning Kathy didn't act surprised or ask why she grabbed her coat and accompanied the
00:45:55
detective in silence Kathy agreed to be interviewed when told that her ex-husband had
00:46:03
implicated her into Gwen Graham in the murder of an Alpine Manor resident Kathy threw her head back and laughed
00:46:11
the detective told her he didn't think it was very funny prompting Kathy to sober up
00:46:18
Kathy was an open book to Detectives although she'd told Ken there were six victims she told police of five Margaret
00:46:27
Chambers May Mason Bell burkhard Edith Cork and Myrtle loose there might have been another three that
00:46:36
Gwen killed but Kathy maintained that she couldn't remember the details or wasn't at work when they were killed
00:46:43
she described planning the crime spray as quote almost exciting in a way Kathy recalled the night Gwen murdered a
00:46:55
79 year old May Mason Gwen approached Kathy and told her she was going to do May
00:47:02
Kathy warned her it was not the right time there were two nurses nearby and Kathy was assigned to a different wing
00:47:10
but they came up with a plan Kathy distracted the nurses with gossip while Gwen slipped into May's bedroom
00:47:19
they were very nearly discovered when Gwen killed Belle burkhard that morning Kathy had volunteered to
00:47:27
supervise the nurses station while the other staff went on a break as she sat alone Gwen approached from
00:47:34
the wing she was assigned to in her back pocket were two washcloths Kathy described how Gwen went into Bell
00:47:44
burkhardt's room while Kathy kept an eye out front from the nurses station an intercom ran from Belle's room to the
00:47:52
station Kathy could hear a rustle of sheets and then groaning noises for a few minutes gurgling noises
00:48:01
sounded over the intercom and then stopped moments later Gwen appeared from the room
00:48:10
Belle was discovered deceased by a nursing aide a few hours later with her arm positioned at an odd angle
00:48:17
underneath her body and severe bruising to the skin according to Kathy Gwen said that Bell
00:48:24
had put up a tremendous fight the bruising on her arm had been caused by Gwen kneeling on it to keep her still
00:48:34
during her police interview Kathy was asked what would motivate Gwen to murder she replied
00:48:42
Gwen liked pain and painful things she had a lot of pain in her life I don't know if she wanted other people
00:48:50
to feel the same Kathy said her role in The Murders ended because she grew tired of it and didn't
00:48:58
want to be a lookout anymore she never told Gwen to stop because she wanted her to be happy
00:49:06
still no further killings took place the women had originally planned to take it in turns to kill but Kathy said she
00:49:15
could never bring herself to be the murderer she explained those people in there were like family
00:49:23
to me and I couldn't do that to them Kathy asserted that Gwen had kept a Memento of every victim
00:49:32
from Myrtle loose she took a sock from Belle burkhard she took a jury from Edith Cork and earring and from May
00:49:40
Mason a key ring trinket from Margaret Chambers she took a balloon given to her with a bunch of
00:49:47
flowers from her children Gwen kept them in a shoebox in the bathroom but there was a problem
00:49:57
Kathy explained that when Gwen moved out she had thrown the Box away police raided the Alpine Mana files
00:50:07
pertaining to resident deaths at the time Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham worked together
00:50:13
upper management showed little concern about the murder investigation Alpine Manor had just received a glowing
00:50:21
review from the government body that certified the nursing home for Medicaid during their search detectives uncovered
00:50:30
a letter Kathy had written it read in part I love you Gwen I think you're great for
00:50:39
this afternoon I cannot wait that's when we'll wake up and that's when I'll kiss you that's when I'll hold
00:50:46
you oh Gwen I miss you bunny hop over here and to let me lick you on the year oh please say you'll be mine
00:50:57
forever and five days detectives asked Kathy what the last line of her poem meant
00:51:06
she explained that it was their Take On The Shakespearean line forever and a day
00:51:13
every time they killed a resident Kathy and Gwen added an extra day to the saying
00:51:20
[Music] six days after Kathy's ex-husband first approached police officers arrived at
00:51:29
gwang Graham's trailer in Texas where she'd started a new life with girlfriend Heather
00:51:35
with no concrete evidence of murder having been uncovered yet police arrested Gwen for writing bad checks
00:51:41
three years earlier they hoped that she might open up while sitting in the county jail
00:51:49
instead Gwen protested her innocence she was so certain that she had nothing to do with the deaths at Alpine manner
00:51:57
that she offered to take a polygraph test the operator told the lead detective on
00:52:03
the case that in his mind Gwen was a cold-blooded killer but the results of the test were
00:52:10
inconclusive Gwen Graham was free to go she went back to her new job as a nursing aide for a
00:52:18
Texas hospital Kathy Wood also took a polygraph test as one of her first Baseline questions
00:52:27
Kathy was asked what the best thing that ever happened to her was she replied that it was her daughter
00:52:35
then she changed her mind and said Gwen as for the worst thing Kathy immediately
00:52:42
said that it was when Gwen left her she was then asked are you lying about Gwen to get her in
00:52:51
trouble after two hours the polygraph examiner was left with little doubt that Kathy
00:52:59
was trying to manipulate the test she was quote playing a subtle intelligent game
00:53:08
he believed that Gwen Graham hadn't killed anyone it was all a ploy Mastered by Kathy the
00:53:15
ultimate revenge for Gwen leaving her in a follow-up polygraph test Kathy was asked why someone would make up a story
00:53:24
like this she replied they'd have to be awfully unhappy awfully lonely maybe they even want to go to prison
00:53:34
like I do because then they won't have to worry about anything [Music] as the Alpine Mana murders investigation
00:53:44
reached its sixth week an excavator was brought to the Rosedale Memorial Cemetery
00:53:50
the decision had been made to excavate the remains of Marguerite Chambers and Edith cork
00:53:56
every other victim listed by Kathy Wood had been cremated Marguerite's husband Ed had given the
00:54:04
go-ahead he was haunted by the realization that she might have been murdered telling the
00:54:09
Associated Press I went through Marguerite's death once I don't want to go through it twice
00:54:18
since news of the alleged murder he had suffered nightmares every night about being suffocated in his sleep
00:54:26
water had leaked inside Marguerite's coffin making an examination of her body difficult due to decomposition
00:54:34
both marguerites and Edith's mouths were checked with the medical examiner hoping
00:54:40
to find fibers of washcloths to support Kathy's murder Theory he also checked the skin on their faces
00:54:47
for abrasions and checked their eyelids looking for pembroke-sized bruises that can indicate suffocation
00:54:55
no fibers or signs of Suffocation were found Kathy claimed that when Guang killed
00:55:04
Edith cook she said she had made a mistake by suffocating her with her false teeth still in
00:55:10
if true the examination would show abrasions to Edith's mouth indicating that she had bitten down while being
00:55:17
suffocated they weren't there Marguerite and Edith's cause of death were listed as heart attacks
00:55:27
when the pathologist examined their hearts he was certain of one thing their hearts were in good condition and
00:55:34
they had not died from a heart attack based on these findings and the circumstantial evidence provided by
00:55:42
Kathy Wood the medical examiner changed their cause of death from heart attack to homicide
00:55:51
[Music] on Sunday December 4 1988 detectives surrounded Gwen Graham's home in Texas
00:56:01
with an arrest warrant in hand the lights were on inside but knocks to the front door went unanswered
00:56:09
the trailer park manager revealed that Gwen and her girlfriend had fled weeks ago
00:56:15
he had no idea where they went detectives returned to their vehicles and as they pulled up to an intersection
00:56:23
a Mustang drove by behind the wheel was gwang Graham she was swiftly arrested without
00:56:32
incident and held on a million-dollar Bond Kathy Wood was arrested a few hours later
00:56:41
Al Van Dyke was sitting at home when he received a telephone call on behalf of Alpine Manor
00:56:48
reading from a pre-written statement the caller explained that the purpose of his
00:56:52
call was to notify Al that his mother Ruth Van Dyke was a possible victim in a series of alleged homicides that
00:57:00
happened at the nursing home Elle couldn't believe it he was a former homicide detective himself
00:57:10
another Corps went to Donald obansky the nephew and the legal guardian of 90 year
00:57:16
old Wanda having been told that Wonder had died from pneumonia Donald said the realization that his aunt could have
00:57:25
been murdered hit him like a bolt of lightning he thought back to her last months in
00:57:31
Alpine Manor and something began to make sense staff were regularly contacting him to
00:57:39
advise that Wanda had sustained bruising abrasion Center lacerations he had always wondered why
00:57:47
Wonder couldn't move the representative from Alpine Manor made another five calls that day
00:57:56
in total Kathy had named eight residents in her interviews with detectives that she believed had been murdered
00:58:04
however Bill burkhard's daughter Nancy Hahn found out from a journalist who called at her home
00:58:11
when she rang Alpine Mana the following morning to find out why she hadn't been notified the manager replied
00:58:19
I'm sorry it was an oversight in January 1988 the Michigan Health Department conducted its own
00:58:28
investigation it found that Alpine Manor management had acted appropriately and had no
00:58:35
reason to suspect that there was any elder abuse going on at the time of the murders
00:58:41
news of the homicides broke nursing staff were ordered not to speak to the Press
00:58:47
one manager did tell reporters Kathy Woods reviews were great you couldn't ask for anyone more
00:58:55
professional Kathy was very popular she was a favorite [Music] prosecutors faced a problem
00:59:10
there was only enough evidence to charge Gwen Graham with the murders of Margaret
00:59:14
Chambers and Edith cork the two women whose bodies were exhumed even then the case relied heavily on
00:59:21
Kathy Woods testimony without her cooperation the case would fall apart because of this the prosecution offered
00:59:31
Kathy a plea deal in exchange for her testimony at trial if Kathy pleaded guilty to second-degree
00:59:39
murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder she would be given a more lenient jail sentence with the
00:59:46
possibility of parole Kathy agreed and with that further charges were brought against Gwen
00:59:54
she was now charged with conspiracy to commit murder and the first degree murder of five residents from Alpine
01:00:01
Manor Gwen's defense team were almost certain she would be acquitted there were no washcloth fibers or
01:00:11
fingerprints linking their client to the victims none of the mementos that Kathy claimed
01:00:16
Gwen had taken as souvenirs had been found the only link to Gwen was Kathy's word
01:00:23
who they said had a motive for lying they alleged that the entire story was concocted by Kathy to get back at Gwen
01:00:32
for leaving her it was an allegation supported by many of Gwen's friends and co-workers who
01:00:39
couldn't believe for a second that Gwen was guilty of murder yet Gwen and Kathy had confessed their
01:00:47
involvement in murdering Alpine Manor residents to at least three other nursing aides and to Kathy's sister
01:00:54
none of them believed they were being serious the trial began in September 1989.
01:01:04
in his opening statements the assistant prosecutor warned the jury that this is a bizarre case and it was
01:01:12
committed by bizarre people Kathy testified against the Gwen for two full days appearing tearful and softly spoken she
01:01:24
detailed how she stood a lookout while Gwen suffocated the victims of Alpine Manor
01:01:29
she appeared to the jury that she herself was a victim of Grant testifying that she was the one who had been tied
01:01:36
to their bed with a gun inserted in her vagina the prosecution had one Final witness to
01:01:44
call it was Gwen's girlfriend Heather who confirmed that she and Gwen were no longer a couple
01:01:52
Heather told the courtroom about the day police had first come to the trailer to
01:01:56
search after they visited Heather asked if she had murdered residents of Alpine Manor
01:02:04
Gwen replied yes not wanting to believe it Heather replied no you didn't Heather showed the jury how Gwen had
01:02:16
shaken her by the shoulders saying I know you don't want to believe it but I did it I did
01:02:24
as Heather stepped down from the witness box and was escorted away Gwen shouted I still love you Heather
01:02:35
the jury deliberated for six hours for the first degree murder of five victims and the charge of conspiracy to
01:02:43
commit murder Gwen Graham was found guilty Gwen showed no emotion as the verdicts
01:02:51
were read she was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole families of the victims crowded the
01:03:01
steps outside the courtroom they were collectively happy with the verdict although Marguerite chamber's
01:03:08
husband Ed told reporters he wished Michigan still had the death penalty in place
01:03:13
his daughter Jan said my mother can finally rest in peace the scars will always be there but it helps
01:03:22
knowing the truth one noticeable absence at the trial was Hazel dredge the daughter of murdered a
01:03:31
victim Myrtle loose Hazel had been a constant presence in Myrtle's life while she was alive
01:03:38
she visited Alpine Manor almost daily to make sure her mother was being cared for
01:03:43
but like her mother Hazel had succumbed to Alzheimer's disease at the time of the trial she was a
01:03:52
resident at Alpine Manor [Music] following the trial Alpine Manor released this statement to the media
01:04:00
which read even though we find it difficult to believe that any of this actually
01:04:06
happened our primary goal is to help the well-being of residents and their families
01:04:12
we will continue to provide quality Care in a supportive environment in our nursing home
01:04:19
[Music] in October 1989 Kathy Wood was sentenced her lawyer read from a statement which
01:04:31
said I'm sorry is not enough mere words cannot express the remorse or guilt I'll have to live with for the
01:04:40
rest of my life before handing down his sentence the judge remarked I'm most impressed by the fact that if
01:04:50
it wasn't for you coming forward I'm sure this matter never would have been cleared up if I turned you loose today
01:04:56
I'm convinced you wouldn't do anything like this again Kathy Wood was sentenced to 20 to 40
01:05:05
years in prison the good behavior she would be eligible for parole after serving only 16.
01:05:14
many people believe that Kathy was more involved in the murders than simply standing Lookout
01:05:21
nursing staff remembered her as a manipulative liar and were convinced that she pulled the wool over everyone's
01:05:27
eyes from detectives on the case to the trial judge as detailed in the book forever and five
01:05:36
days a hairdresser named Maureen Haverhill was tending to Alpine Manor resident Lucille vanderveen in late
01:05:43
1987. Lucille was very distressed and told the hairdresser they tried to kill me last night they
01:05:53
tried to smother me in my bed but I fought back I swung and I kicked and I scratched and they couldn't do it
01:06:02
Moraine assured of Lucille that nobody was trying to kill her but after hearing of the Alpine Manor
01:06:08
murders she realized that Lucille might have been telling the truth yet it couldn't have been Gwen Graham
01:06:16
who attacked Lucille she had left Alpine Manor five weeks earlier a former inmate of Kathy Woods said she
01:06:27
bragged about the murders in prison showing other inmates clippings from newspapers about the case
01:06:33
the inmate said that they were discussing the murders when Kathy allegedly admitted
01:06:40
I did the murders I really got that [ __ ] back that's what Gwen gets for breaking up with me
01:06:48
in September 2018 Kathy Wood came up for parole her application was challenged by family
01:06:56
members of the victims of Alpine Manor who filed an appeal they believed she had shown No Remorse
01:07:03
and like the majority of people involved in the case believed that she was more active in the murders than she admitted
01:07:11
they also lived in fear that Kathy would hunt them down when she was released from prison
01:07:18
May Mason's granddaughter who was particularly vocal in her condemnation of Kathy's parole armed herself with a
01:07:25
gun and top of the line Home Security despite the appeal from the victim's families and considerable public outrage
01:07:34
Kathy Wood was deemed as no longer a threat to society at 57 years of age after serving a
01:07:42
30-year sentence she was released from prison and moved to South Carolina to live with her sister
01:07:50
a retired detective who worked on the case believed she shouldn't have been paroled telling local news station Wood
01:07:57
TV I believe that Kathy Wood was The Mastermind she was the one that was pulling strings on gwang Graham
01:08:06
for safety reasons I wouldn't want my grandchildren or elderly residents around her
01:08:12
she's a serial killer and she could do it again and most of them do with Kathy Woods parole came the release
01:08:22
of court documents previously withheld from the public for the first time it was revealed that
01:08:29
at one stage Kathy and Gwen were under investigation for a total of 12 deaths at Alpine manner
01:08:36
however a lack of evidence prevented the cases from moving to trial over the years Kathy and Gwen earned the
01:08:45
moniker the lethal lovers a year after the trials Alpine Manor was sold to a hospital group who extensively
01:08:59
renovated and rebranded the nursing home legislation in Michigan was reviewed and
01:09:05
a nursing home subject to more stringent conditions in Michigan today suspected order abuse
01:09:12
in nursing homes must be reported to Adult Protective Services investigators nursing homes still struggle with the
01:09:21
same problems evident at the time of the Alpine Manor murders an aging population
01:09:25
requiring full-time care and understaffed Workforce and overworked and underpaid nurses are enormous
01:09:33
challenges faced in providing care current legislation in Michigan dictates that only one certified nursing
01:09:41
assistant be required for eight residents during the day at night one certified nursing assistant
01:09:48
can legally be assigned 15 residents to care for it will probably never be known exactly
01:09:57
what motivated Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham a lawyer who represented another nurse
01:10:02
convicted of murdering dozens of elderly patients over the span of two decades in
01:10:07
Kentucky and Ohio told the Detroit free press that the people that are commonly committing
01:10:14
these crimes are those that are rejected by Society or feel rejected the only people they can lash out at are
01:10:22
those less powerful than they are the people they care for [Music] Kathy Wood was sentenced her ex-husband
01:10:32
Ken wrote a letter to the judge in it he said Kathy is guilty of Taking Lives or at
01:10:40
least to not preventing Gwen from taking them but how much life did she really take
01:10:46
all of the victims weren't even living they enjoyed nothing experienced nothing and were going to die
01:10:56
this was the opinion voiced by the majority of the public at the time of the murders
01:11:02
the general consensus was that Kathy and Gwen didn't deserve to be sentenced too
01:11:07
harshly for their actions because they targeted the weak and sick it was an opinion that devastated the
01:11:14
victim's families Maxine loose the daughter-in-law of victim Myrtle loose said that their
01:11:21
targeting of the vulnerable was what made their crimes particularly abhorrent quote
01:11:27
when I think of Myrtle in that position and someone deliberately cutting off her
01:11:32
breath that's the horror of the thing when they're so helpless black children [Music]
01:11:40
Jan Enderman Marguerite chamber's daughter said to Wood TV that she was devastated that she never got to say
01:11:48
goodbye to her mother Kathy and Gwen took that away from her John engman son-in-law to victim May
01:11:56
Mason said May did not deserve this sort of death none of those people did they lived good lives and expected
01:12:07
people would take care of them until they passed from natural causes foreign [Music]
01:12:28
[Music]