Genene Jones

Case record: Genene Jones

Background

Genene Anne Jones (born July 13, 1950) was a former pediatric nurse who worked at several medical clinics in and around San Antonio, Texas. She also worked in the pediatric intensive care unit at Bexar County Medical Center Hospital (now The University Hospital of San Antonio). She was dismissed from two separate medical facilities when suspicions about infant deaths centered on her, but she continued injecting babies with life-threatening drugs.

Jones was described as a nurse who “practiced possibly the most heinous life-and-death games in American history, injecting innumerable babies with life-threatening drugs,” with periodic investigations and dismissals. The total kills will never be known for sure, but speculation included that she may have murdered almost 50 infants dating back to the beginning of her nursing career in 1977. Another account stated she was thought to have killed somewhere between 11 and 46 infants and children in her care.

Jones was portrayed in television and film: Susan Ruttan portrayed her in the television movie Deadly Medicine (1991), and Alicia Bartya portrayed her in the straight-to-video movie Mass Murder (film) (2002). She was featured in a Discovery Channel documentary, Lethal Injection. She was also said to have inspired Annie Wilkes from Stephen King’s Misery.

Jones had been involved in nursing employment around San Antonio and later took a position at a pediatric physician’s clinic in Kerrville, Texas, near San Antonio.

The offence

Jones was accused and prosecuted for poisoning and injuring children using injections of drugs.

At Bexar County Medical Center Hospital in the Pediatric Intensive Care unit, it was determined that a statistically inordinate number of children Jones worked with were dying. Jones was accused of causing cardiac arrest and hemorrhaging in babies under her care by injecting chemicals. Multiple deaths were investigated through several inquiries and panel reviews, and Jones continued working despite suspicions.

At the Kerrville clinic, Jones was charged with poisoning children. The drug storage included a bottle of succinylcholine, in which puncture marks were found where only she and Jones had access; the contents of the apparently full bottle were later found to be diluted.

One described case involved 14-month-old Chelsea McClellan. Jones gave the child her first injection for immunisation against mumps and measles. Chelsea suffered an immediate seizure after the injection, went into cardiac arrest while en route to the emergency treatment hospital, and died. An autopsy later challenged an initial determination that Chelsea died of SIDS. Tests later indicated traces of succinylcholine in Chelsea’s body.

Another described case involved Rolando Santos, a 4-week-old boy being treated for pneumonia. Jones was accused of injuring Santos by deliberately injecting him with heparin, resulting in “spontaneous” hemorrhaging, though physicians managed to save his life.

A further described case involved nearly killing Rolando Jones with heparin, and her sentencing included a concurrent term for that conviction.

Jones also was described as using digoxin, heparin, and later succinylcholine to induce medical crises in patients, with a stated intention by prosecutors that she would revive them afterward to receive praise and attention. Many children did not survive the initial attack.

Investigation

A statistically inordinate number of children were dying in the pediatric unit where Jones worked. Periodic investigations were held at Bexar County Medical Center Hospital. She was questioned after being identified as a suspect in at least ten infant deaths at Bexar County’s pediatric ward.

A special grand jury convened in San Antonio, Texas, investigating “suspicious” deaths of children at Bexar County Medical Center Hospital over four years. A similar probe in neighboring Kerr County focused upon hospitalization of eight infants who developed respiratory problems during treatment at a local clinic, including one who died. Authorities were concerned over allegations that deaths in both counties were caused by deliberate injections of muscle relaxing drugs.

Jones was one of three former hospital employees subpoenaed by both grand juries. With nurse Deborah Saltenfuss, Jones had resigned from Medical Center Hospital in March 1982, moving on to a job at the Kerr County clinic run by Dr. Kathleen Holland, another subpoenaed witness.

Chelsea McClellan’s body was exhumed and tissues were tested. A test detected the presence of succinylcholine, and the death appeared to have been caused by an injection of the muscle relaxant.

Investigators and hospital officials also conducted multiple investigations at Bexar County’s hospital between November 1981 and February 1983, without cracking the string of deaths. A panel comprising experts from hospitals in the USA and Canada was appointed to look into the deaths and interviewed members of Bexar’s staff. The panel did not reach firm conclusion beyond the suggestion that the hospital dispense with the services of both Jones and the nurse who accused her.

At the Kerrville clinic, Sid Peterson Hospital personnel became suspicious after children experienced breathing problems and seizures that recovered and were not initially treated as suspicious. Later, Jones was dismissed pending a grand jury investigation.

Records and evidence were destroyed after Jones’s first conviction. Hospital officials shredded 9,000 pounds of pharmaceutical records in March 1984, destroying numerous pieces of evidence under grand jury subpoena.

Arrest

In January 1982, Jones was indicted on charges of poisoning a four-week-old child. A later portion of the investigation described that in November 1981, Jones was indicted in San Antonio on charges of injuring four-week-old Rolando Santos by deliberately injecting him with heparin in January 1982.

Jones was also indicted by a grand jury in Kerr County. On May 26, 1983, Jones was indicted on two counts of murder in Kerr County, charged with injecting lethal doses of a muscle-relaxant and another unknown drug to deliberately cause Chelsea McClellan’s death. Additional charges of injury were filed for six other children reportedly injected with drugs including succinylincholine during their visits to Dr. Holland’s clinic. Jones was held in lieu of $225,000 bond.

A San Antonio grand jury indicted Jones in November (year not repeated in that passage) for injuring four-week-old Rolando Santos with a deliberate injection of heparin almost two years earlier. She remained a suspect in at least ten other infant deaths at the hospital.

Trial

Jones went on trial in January 1984 on the charge of murder related to Chelsea McClellan. Prosecutors introduced an ego motive, described as Jones seeking to become a hero or “miracle worker” by “saving” children in life-and-death situations.

During the trial, nurses from Bexar County also recalled her plan to promote a pediatric intensive care unit in San Antonio by raising the number of seriously-ill children. One reported statement was:

“They’re out there,” she once told a colleague. “All you have to do is find them.”

Jurors deliberated for three hours before convicting Jones of murder. She was found guilty and sentenced to 99 years in prison on February 15, 1984.

Jones was subsequently put on trial a second time, charged with administering an overdose of the bloodthinning drug heparin to another child. On October 24, she was convicted and sentenced to a concurrent term of 60 years.

The psychiatric exam was stated to have failed to provide testimony needed for an insanity defense, and her lawyer brought in witnesses to testify that Jones was devoted, competent and responsible.

A noted line attributed to Jones during the period she was under investigation included the statement:

“They’re going to start thinking I’m the Death Nurse.”

Sentencing

• On February 15, 1984, Jones was sentenced to 99 years in prison for murdering Chelsea McClellan.
• On October 24, 1984, Jones was sentenced to a concurrent term of 60 years in prison for injuring Rolando Santos by injection with heparin.

Because of a law in place at the time to deal with prison overcrowding, one account stated that Jones would serve only one-third of her sentence and that she would receive automatic parole in 2017. Another portion stated she came up for parole after 10 years, and relatives of Chelsea McClellan successfully fought to keep her behind bars, where she would remain until at least 2009, when she would be again eligible for parole.

Jones was stated to be eligible for early parole every two to three years, but had been denied six times so far.

Appeals

No appeal outcome was provided.

Outcome

Jones remained in prison following her convictions and sentencing. Her automatic parole was described as scheduled for 2017 in one account, while another stated she would remain until at least 2009 due to relatives’ efforts to keep her behind bars and prevent parole.

Aftermath

Medical supervisors were stated to have destroyed evidence after her first conviction, including shredded 9,000 pounds of pharmaceutical records in March 1984.

Jones’s story was also incorporated into biographical and true-crime books and documentaries, including references to The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers by Brian Lane and Wilfred Gregg, The Death Shift by Peter Elkind, and other works listed in the provided bibliography.