Alberto Serrano

Case record: Alberto Serrano

Background

Alberto Serrano was a psychiatric patient who told doctors that the people he attacked looked like animals and monsters and he had to attack them to defend himself. He was described as a psychiatric patient who wanted to be a professional wrestler.

Serrano was indicted on four counts of first-degree murder for violently rampaging through a hospital. He was also indicted on two counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of robbery. He was described as a 6-foot-2, 230-pound Alberto Serrano and also as 6-foot-2, 250-pound. He was reported as 33 years old, and also as 34 in one account.

Attorney Mark Harlee said Serrano was incompetent to stand trial. A psychiatric evaluation found him incompetent. Public defender Mark Harllee said he faced another evaluation and a hearing to determine whether he was competent to stand trial.

Serrano was sent to Savannas Hospital on April 10 under a state law allowing officials to involuntarily commit people who were a danger to themselves or others, including under the Baker Act, which allowed officials to involuntarily commit a person who was determined to be a threat to himself or others for three days for evaluation.

Serrano had a criminal history that included driving under the influence of alcohol in 1998 and 1994, carrying a concealed weapon in 1989, and several traffic violations over the past decade. Reports indicated he was under the influence of alcohol in most cases, and several mention that he was violent either before or after his arrest. He had been arrested four days before the attack on a misdemeanor battery charge for punching a stranger in the waiting room at a Fort Pierce mental health center. He was taken to jail and released the same day after his girlfriend posted $500 bond.

Serrano was a native of Puerto Rico and had worked as a carpenter and roofer for more than a dozen years, primarily in Martin County. Friends said he was currently working for Piper Aircraft in Vero Beach.

Serrano was married twice and had an 8-year-old daughter with his second wife, Kimberly, according to court records. In 1991, Serrano wrote a letter to a Martin County judge saying he had been hospitalized for mental problems for three months and was experiencing financial problems. In 1995, after he was charged with violating a probation term stemming from his drunken-driving conviction, Serrano’s wife wrote a letter stating his husband had suffered from “mental as well as physical illnesses” which caused him to lose a job. Kimberly wrote:

“Alberto is a very fine and respectable person,” “He has his faults, but he is a good person. He has never been in any major trouble before.”

Serrano’s estranged wife said he was schizophrenic. She also said he had been admitted to mental hospitals at least 10 times over the past decade, usually because he had stopped taking his medication, and that he was sometimes admitted for two weeks at a time to New Horizons, but he had also been admitted to Savannas at least twice. She said he had been hospitalized once in Palm Beach County and at least once in his native Puerto Rico. She said Serrano did not like to take psychiatric medication because it made him tired, and twice he had to be restrained by staff members who were punched while trying to give him medicine, though neither incident was so severe it ended in arrest.

Serrano’s girlfriend, Nidia Pena, told police that she found him in his bathroom with a knife and took him to Martin Memorial Center. She also said he had been taken to New Horizons of the Treasure Coast after attacking his family in the middle of the night, and that she bailed him out after the incident at New Horizons. Friends in a house where he had been staying called police after Serrano woke them up in the middle of the night, yelling “things from the Bible,” preaching to and slapping them. The friends refused to press charges.

Pena said Serrano said he was sent by God to rid the world of bad people. She said:

“Don’t worry about anything because I’m going to take care of all the bad people in the world” and she said “bad people” included those who “did not follow God’s rules . . . like fornicators, child abusers, drug addicts, his wife,” and she said Serrano was separated from his wife.

When Pena learned of the latest incident, she told police:

“Not again” and she said: “He just did this at New Horizons and was arrested for battery two days ago.”

Pena said that when she found Serrano in the bathroom with a knife, he told her:

“God is calling me and he wants me to do it,”

While being processed, Serrano answered basic questions and gave police his name and age in a low, unwavering voice. Asked what happened, he said:

“I don’t know.”

Serrano was discovered washing himself at a pond outside the facility.

The offence

On the early morning of April 10, 2001, while being checked into Savannas Hospital & Treatment Center, Alberto Serrano attacked several people.

A psychiatric hospital nurse, Alda Ellington, was beaten to death with Serrano’s fists. Ellington was found in a pool of blood shortly after being attacked, and she died at the scene after paramedics arrived. She had injuries described as being beaten on the face and neck, and her head injuries were described as massive.

After Ellington’s death, Serrano fatally attacked elderly patients sleeping in their rooms in the ward. Autopsies concluded that Jack Dexter, 74, Truman Davidson, and Everett Stoneking, both 87, were beaten to death. Their injuries included multiple blunt trauma, broken necks and backs. The first elderly patient, Jack Dexter, 74, died the day after the attacks, and hospital officials originally attributed his death to advanced stages of cancer. The other two elderly patients languished for up to four days before they died, and officials later realized they were also victims. Autopsies revealed the extent of the murderous rampage.

Authorities said Serrano went on the unprovoked rampage while being checked in at Savannas Hospital and Treatment Center in Port St. Lucie after earlier unprovoked attacks elsewhere. The attacks were described as Serrano using keys and escaping from a locked ward. There was no alarm button on the ward, and the ward’s heavy doors and isolated location would have prevented anyone from hearing a struggle.

Two women patients were also attacked. Olive Simpson, 75, was in critical condition at St. Lucie Medical Center. Elizabeth Scott, 64, was treated and released back to the mental facility, with injuries including a broken nose, cut lip, and broken dentures, and also described as suffering a broken nose and being released back to the mental facility.

In a separate incident, Serrano was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge for punching a man in the face and back in the waiting room at New Horizons mental health center in Fort Pierce. In that incident three days before the April 10 attack, Serrano had punched a patient unprovoked while waiting to be admitted.

Detectives’ report quoted Serrano as having confessed to attacking the women, and it stated:

“killed the people by breaking their necks and backs and beating them in the face”

Investigation

The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office investigation included a spokesman Mark Weinberg. A nurse’s report described that someone called her over to do CPR on Ellington and she could not leave her unit. The investigation included a sheriff’s report stating that an orderly left Serrano alone with Ellington while he responded to a disturbance in another part of the building.

Detectives believed Serrano may have washed himself in a pond on the property after the alleged attacks. Serrano was drenched in water and his hands were swollen and cut when deputies found him sitting in a chair outside the building. Police said he had jumped in a nearby pond after the attack.

The state Agency for Health Care Administration was investigating the incident. The Department of Children and Families said it would not take any action until ACHE reports its findings.

The investigation included discussion of hospital accreditation and survey findings. The hospital had been told to make improvements in 1999, the last time a full survey was completed after receiving an excellent rating in 1996. The hospital’s psychiatric services fell short in three areas: initial assessment procedures, implementing plans “to provide a safe ... environment of care” and use of medicines. Charlene Hill, a JCAHO spokeswoman, said the agency had asked Savannas to submit a confidential report within 45 days on the circumstances and causes of the nurse’s killing and patient attacks. She said that if the agency found the report “thorough and credible,” and the hospital took proper actions to prevent the incident from recurring, it was unlikely the agency would revoke accreditation. She said the report was kept confidential so the hospital could do a thorough investigation. Hill said:

“We’ve learned over time it’s a systems error, not a people error.”

Serrano confessed to the attacks during an interview with detectives after his arrest, and officials said they were not sure whether that statement would be admissible in court because of questions surrounding competency. Assistant State Attorney Lynn Park said:

“If he is found to be insane, then you could never prosecute,” and she said: “Whether they know right from wrong, that’s the basic issue.”

Arrest

Serrano was arrested without incident after deputies found him sitting in a chair outside the building. He was being held without bond in a medical cell at the county jail until a Wednesday morning court appearance. He talked about the attacks during an interview with detectives after his arrest.

The day before the April 10 attack, he had been taken to New Horizons of the Treasure Coast and had been arrested four days before the attack on a misdemeanor battery charge for punching a stranger in a waiting room at a Fort Pierce mental health center; he was released the same day after bond was posted.

Trial

Serrano was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Alda Ellington. He also was charged with two counts of attempted murder in the beatings of two female patients: Olive Simpson and Elizabeth Scott. He was also planned to be prosecuted for first-degree murder charges in the deaths of Stoneking, Dexter and Davidson, and was already charged in the death of Ellington and for assaulting Olive Simpson, 75, and Scott, 64.

Serrano faced another evaluation and a hearing to determine whether he was competent to stand trial.

A Savannas Hospital spokeswoman Sharon Grayson said the rest of the patients in the ward that night were examined by outside doctors and no other injuries were found. Grayson said:

“It’s obviously a difficult time for all of us and our interests right now are taking care of our patients and their families,” and she said the hospital would release a statement later that week.

A sheriff’s spokesman Mark Weinberg said:

“We are looking at all the circumstances relating to the deaths,”

Elizabeth Scott’s husband, Raymond Scott, said:

“I was shocked because I thought she was safe in a situation like that,” and he said: “I felt so good that she was secure. Undoubtedly she wasn’t.”

Raymond Scott’s attorney said he may sue, contending the hospital did not do enough to protect patients. Lawyer Evan Fetterman said:

“They are woefully understaffed,” and he said: “They have no proper security procedures at intake. ... They can’t leave a nurse and one orderly in charge of the whole hospital.” He also said: “They are required to do what is reasonable under all circumstances,” and: “What they have done is not reasonable.”

Sentencing

After being found not guilty by reason of insanity, Serrano was committed to a state mental hospital on June 11, 2002.

Appeals

No appeal information was included.

Outcome

Serrano was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a state mental hospital on June 11, 2002.

Aftermath

A settlement was reported in relation to Olive Simpson. Attorneys Joe Reiter and Lake H. Lytal, III reached a substantial, confidential settlement with the hospital that would assure Mrs. Simpson would be cared for in safe surroundings for the remainder of her life. It was stated that Serrano had been taken to Savannas in a delusional state and that admitting records showed he had a violent history and a history of psychiatric hospitalizations, including a stay at Savannas. It stated that only two days earlier he had been released from jail where he had been held for beating five people.

The settlement report described that admitting records contained a note that Serrano was hearing voices telling him to hurt people, and it stated that Savannas nurse Alda Ellington was left alone to complete the intake process while a co-worker went for a cigarette break. It stated that a short time later, another co-worker found Nurse Ellington and three Savannas patients beaten to death. It stated that Serrano was discovered washing himself at a pond outside of the facility, and that he had broken the necks of his victims with his bare hands. It stated that Olive Simpson survived, with her neck fractured and her jaw shattered, and that she was transported to Port St. Lucie Medical Center; it also stated that her daughter was called and told her mother had fallen out of bed, and when the daughter arrived she found her mother unrecognizable. It stated that attorneys discovered Savannas had violated its own policy by allowing a nurse to be left alone during the admission process, and that the violation was more egregious due to Serrano’s size. It also stated that at the time of the incident, Savannas did not have an emergency call system, surveillance cameras, panic alarm buttons or security staff.

The settlement report quoted:

“Never before in modern Florida history had anyone killed so many with their bare hands.” and stated that, thanks to the settlement, Olive Simpson was assured she would be able to live in safe surroundings and receive medical care during her lifetime.

Savannas Hospital released a statement expressing:

“We are deeply saddened by the death of a staff member. Mental illness is a devastating, often chronic illness, which requires staff dedication and compassion. This particular staff member had a deep commitment to treating mental health patients and had worked in this field for the last 25 years.”

The hospital also issued a release stating:

“Even in the most restrictive settings, forensic hospitals, jails and state hospitals, incidents such as this can occur.” It stated it would evaluate the tragedy in the coming weeks “to assist us in learning from this traumatic experience.” It also stated the facility had treated more than 15,000 patients since opening on Walton Road in Port St. Lucie in 1987.

Timeline

• April 10, 2001 — Alberto Serrano attacked a nurse, Alda Ellington, and other patients at Savannas Hospital & Treatment Center.
• April 11, 2001 — Serrano was reported as being charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder, and he was being held without bail at the St. Lucie County jail.
• June 11, 2002 — Serrano was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a state mental hospital.

Other details

Savannas Hospital was described as a 70-bed facility owned by Liberty Management Group.