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Donald Harvey
“Angel of Death”
Information researched and summarized by
Elizabeth Sellers
Pannill Hedgecock
Melissa Georges
Department of Psychology Radford University Radford, VA 24142-
Date Age Life Event
04-15-1952 0 Born in Booneville, Kentucky. Was the first of three children. October 1952
months
Head injury – father fell asleep holding him and dropped him. He didn’t seem to be seriously injured, but his soft spot hadn’t closed. Parents had an abusive relationship with each other. 1957 5 years Head injury – fell off running board of a truck. He didn’t lose consciousness, but had a cut 10-12 centimeters long on the back of the head.
1956-1972 Ages 4-
Sexual abuse – Uncle Wayne (mother’s ½ brother) would abuse him when he went to grandmother’s house. Uncle Wayne primarily used Donald as an aid to masturbation, but they also engaged in oral sex. 1957- Ages 5-
Sexual abuse – an older neighbor (Dan Thomas) sexually abused him. He noted later that he liked that Dan gave him money. April 1968 16 Received diploma from the American School (correspondence school in Chicago). Obtained his GED later this year. 1968 16 First sexual encounter in which he was an equal partner. 1969 17 Started an occasional relationship with James Peluso which continued for about 15 years. 1970 18 Left home and moved to London, Kentucky. 05-11-1970 18 Started work at Marymount Hospital. 1970 18 Was raped by Randy White (roommate).
First kill – smothered Logan Evans (88) with a sheet of blue plastic and a pillow. He listened to his heart rate with a stethoscope until he was dead. He disposed of the plastic and cleaned him up, dressing him in a clean hospital gown. He had no fear of getting caught and notified the nurse on duty.
05-31-1970 18
Accidently killed James Tyree (69) by using the wrong size catheter on him. Tyree let him proceed, but then yelled at him to take it out. Donald then used the heel of his hand to control him until he vomited blood and died.
Killed Elizabeth Wyatt (42). This was his first “mercy kill” – he was aware that she was praying to die. She told him she wished she could die, so he turned her oxygen supply very low in order to kill her. Four hours later, a nurse found her dead.
07-10-1970 18 Killed Eugene McQueen (43) by turning him on his stomach when he knew he wasn’t supposed to. He drowned in his own fluids. Harvey informed the nurse that
McQueen looked bad, but she said for him to continue. Therefore he proceeded to bathe him after he was dead in order to avoid suspicion. This was covered up by the hospital. For as long as he worked at Marymount, the doctors and nurses teased him for bathing a dead man.
07-12-1970 18 Accidently killed Harvey Williams (82) by using a faulty gas tank. He went into cardiac arrest and died.
Killed Ben Gilbert (81). This was significant because it was his first premeditated murder. Ben had knocked Donald unconscious with a urinal and poured its contents over him, claiming that he thought Donald was a burglar. Harvey retaliated by catheterizing Gilbert using a female sized #20 catheter instead of the smaller #18 for men. He then straightened out a coat hanger and shoved the wire through the catheter about two feet, puncturing his bladder and bowel. He went into instant shock, breaking into a cold sweat and going into a coma. Harvey disposed of the wire and replaced the #20 catheter with a #18. 07-28-1970 18 Ben Gilbert died.
Started a 7 month relationship with Vernon Midden. Vernon was an undertaker that was married with children. Vernon taught Donald lots of ins and outs of how the body reacts when certain things are done to it (ex. when it is smothered). This came in handy when he was trying to get away with his murders. 1970 18 Vernon (his lover) introduced Donald to the occult, but wouldn’t let him take part in the rituals because he wasn’t a member.
08-15-1970 18
Killed Maude Nichols using a faulty oxygen tank. She had been sent there with bed sores so bad that maggots crawled in the sores. No one wanted to give her care, so he killed her.
Killed William Bowling (58) by not turning his oxygen on. He had been brought to the hospital due to difficulty breathing. Donald’s action was intentional but spontaneous. He wanted to end the patient’s struggles to breathe. He died of a massive heart attack.
Killed Viola Reed Wyan (63) using a faulty oxygen tank. He commented that she smelled bad. She was suffering from leukemia and electrolyte imbalance. He decided to end her suffering, so he attempted to kill her by plastic and pillow smothering, but someone came in and he had to stop. Therefore, he got the faulty oxygen tank and killed her that way.
12-07-1970 18
Killed Margaret Harrison (91) by giving her an overdose of Demerol, morphine, and codeine that was intended for another patient. He monitored her pulse until it dropped to 0 and she stopped breathing. January 1971 18 Relationship with Vernon Midden began to go sour. He became depressed and fantasized about embalming Vernon alive.
01-09-1971 18
Killed Sam Carroll (80) using a faulty oxygen tank. He had pneumonia and an obstruction of his small intestine. Donald decided he had suffered enough and retrieved the faulty oxygen tank.
01-15-1971 18
Killed Maggie Rawlins by smothering her with a pillow. He put a plastic bag between her face and a pillow in order to avoid fibers in her airways. She was treated for a bad burn on her arm.
Killed Silas Butner (62) using a faulty oxygen tank. He had been experiencing kidney problems. He had attempted to kill him multiple times by smothering him, but each time was interrupted. There was an autopsy in this case, but the true cause of death was never discovered.
Killed John V. Combs (68) using a faulty gas tank. He had a bad heart and difficulty breathing. Tried to smother him with a plastic bag unsuccessfully, so returned to the faulty oxygen tank. Donald described this killing as a “mercy” killing.
03-14-1971 18
Killed Milton Bryant Sasser (90) by giving him an overdose of morphine that he had stolen from the cabinet at the nurse’s station. He had been brought in for congestive heart failure. Donald made the mistake fo trying to dispose of the
When Donald found out that Carl had been going to the park every Monday and “playing around” with other men, he started feeding him small doses of arsenic to make him sick on Sunday so that he couldn’t go to the park on Monday.
Donald thought that Diane (Carl’s “faghag”) was trying to split up their relationship so he gave her hepatitis B that he stole from the VA hospital. He also poisoned her with acrylic acid and tried to infect her with AIDS he stole as well (but it didn’t work).
(death: April 10,
Killed Helen Metzger (WF, 63) because he thought she was a threat to Carl and an indirect threat to him. He did this by sprinkling arsenic on the leftovers he gave her and in a jar of mayonnaise as well. Several weeks later he gave her more in a pie. She developed a paralysis and moved upwards. He claims he didn’t mean to give her a lethal dose, but the paralysis set in. Following a tracheotomy, she started hemorrhaging and never regained consciousness. Her death was attributed to Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
1983 31
Helen’s family got sick due to the arsenic in the mayonnaise after the gathering at her apartment after the funeral. No one died and it was believed to be food poisoning. April 25, 1983 (death: May 1, 1983)
31 Killed Carl’s father, Henry Howeler (WM, 82) by giving him arsenic. He died four days later due to a stroke and kidney failure.
Late 1983 – early 1984 31
Accidentally killed Howard Vetter (Carl’s brother-in-law). Donald had been using wood alcohol to remove adhesive labels and left the solution in a vodka bottle. Carl got hold of the wrong bottle and served Howard a few drinks from it. He was sick for a week, and suffered a heart attack. His death was attributed to cardiac failure. 09-19-1984 32 Accidentally killed Hiram Proffit by giving him the wrong dosage of heparin. He told no one about the error and it was not detected.
Killed ex-boyfriend James Peluso (WM, 65) because he asked him to “help him out” if he ever became unable to care for himself. He gave him arsenic in a daiquiri and in some pudding. He became ill again at home and was returned to the VA hospital. His death had been expected due to cardiac problems, so no autopsy was performed. March 18, 1985 (death: March 23, 1985
Killed Edward Wilson, a neighbor, because he wanted to protect Carl. Wilson believed that Carl was cheating him on his utility bills. In order to protect Carl, he put arsenic into Wilson’s Pepto-Bismol. He died 5 days later.
March 1985 32 Promoted to morgue supervisor.
1985 32 Joined National Socialist Party (neo-Nazi). Later claimed he wasn’t a sympathizer, but instead was there gathering info for friends that wanted to destroy the party.
July 1985 33
Was fired from VA hospital because they found a gun in his gym bag, which was strictly against policy. They also found a small specimen of liver mounted in paraffin wax to be sliced with a microtome for microscopic examination in his locker. Due to errors in the investigation, none of this appeared on his record. (Donald believes that Carl planted the gun.) 02-24-1986 33 Started new job at Daniel Drake Memorial in Cincinnati, Ohio. No suspicions were raised about his reasons for leaving previous jobs.
Killed Nathani J. Watson (BM, 65) by smothering him with a wet, plastic garbage can liner which he placed over his face, pushing it into his mouth and into his nostrils. He had tried to kill him in the same manner multiple times, but was interrupted each time. He didn’t think that Watson, a semi-comatose man being fed through a gastric tube, should live that way. He had also heard that Watson was a convicted rapist (even though this was never substantiated). He removed the pillow and threw the plastic bag in the trash and carried on to his next patient.
Watson was found ¾ of an hour later by a nurse.
04-12-1986 33 Killed Leon Nelson (BM, 64) by smothering him in the same manner as Nathaniel Watson.
04-19-1986 34
Killed Virgil Weddle (WM, 81) by putting rat poison in his pudding. He had died of an apparent heart attack, which was expected by his illness. Donald took cookies from Weddle and ate them during his occult ceremony for Duncan.
04-20-1986 34 Attempted to kill Lawrence Berndsen with rat poison repeatedly. He was transferred to a nursing home and died there days later.
05-02-1986 34 His relationship with Carl started to have lots of trouble and they argued a lot. He became paranoid that Carl was out to get him. Donald and Carl broke up. 05-02-1986 34 Killed Doris Nally (WF, 65) by putting cyanide in her apple juice.
05-05-1986 34 Daisy Key completed an employee evaluation on Donald. He was rated as “Good” on 6 of 10 criteria and “Acceptable” on the other 4.
06-20-1986 34 Killed Edward Schreibeis (WM, 63) by giving him arsenic in his soup. There was no autopsy conducted. May-June 1986
Attempted to poison Willie Johnson using arsenic four times in his food.
06-29-1986 34 Killed Robert Crockett (BM, 80) by putting an cyanide solution into an I.V. No autopsy was conducted.
07-07-1986 34 Killed Donald Barney (WM, 61) by giving him cyanide through his feeding tube as well as an injection of cyanide into his buttocks.
07-25-1986 34 Killed James T. Woods (BM, 65) by giving him a cyanide solution in his gastric tube.
08-16-1986 34 Killed Ernst C. Frey (WM, 85) by giving him arsenic in his gastric tube. Donald took an old pair of knitted booties. 08-17-1986 34 Moved to Middletown, Ohio.
08-29-1986 34 Killed Milton Canter (WM, 85) by giving him a cyanide solution in his nasal tube. Permission for autopsy was not granted. Donald took a lap blanket form Canter.
09-17-1986 34 Killed Roger Evans (BM, 74) by giving him cyanide in his gastric tube. Autopsy was given, but no cyanide was found.
09-20-1986 34 Killed Clayborn Kendrick (BM, 69) by giving him cyanide in his gastric tube and an injection into his testes.
10-29-1986 34 Killed Albert Buehlmann (WM, 86) by feeding him cyanide dissolved in a cup of water. 10-30-1986 34 Killed William Collins (BM, 85) by giving him cyanide dissolved in orange juice.
11-04-1986 34 Killed Henry Cody (BM, 78) by giving him cyanide dissolved in water through his gastric tube. Permission for an autopsy was not given. November, 1986
Began seeing Dr. Mark Barbara for treatment of depression, due to the break up with Carl. November, 1986 34 Head injury – tried to commit suicide by driving his car off a mountain road, resulting in a head injury. Autumn 1986
Occult rituals became more regular and he started bringing cyanide to the hospital on a regular basis.
11-22-1986 34 Killed Mose Thompson (BM, 65) by giving him cyanide dissolved in water through his gastric tube. 12-09-1986 34 Killed Odas Day (WM, 72) by giving him a cyanide solution.
12-10-1986 34
Killed Cleo Fish (WM, 67) by giving her cyanide mixed with cranberry juice. Donald took a lock of hair from her and burned it during his occult ceremony for Duncan.
1986 34
Poisoned Harold White and John Oldendick with arsenic, but the doses were too small to be fatal. Harvey believes that in Oldendick’s case, the dose of arsenic actually healed him.
01-10-1987 34 Killed Leo Parker (BM, 47) by giving him cyanide in his feed bag. An autopsy failed to find he was poisoned. 02-05-1987 34 Killed Margaret Kuckro (WF, 80) by giving her cyanide in her orange juice.
Confessed: 07/09/ Charged: 08/18/
Charged with murder of Helen Metzger from her home in Ohio and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 07/09/ Charged: 08/18/
Charged with murder of patient Leon Nelson from Drake Hospital in Ohio and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 07/09/ Charged: 08/18/
Charged with attempted murder of patient John Oldenick from Drake Hospital in Ohio and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 07/09/ Charged: 08/18/
Charged with murder of patient Leo Parker from Drake Hospital in Ohio and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 07/09/ Charged: 08/18/
Charged with murder of James Peluso from Carl’s home in Ohio and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 07/09/ Charged: 08/18/
Charged with murder of patient Joseph Pike from Drake Hospital in Ohio and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 07/09/ Charged: 08/18/
Charged with murder of patient John Powell from Drake Hospital in Ohio and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 07/09/ Charged: 08/18/
Charged with murder of patient Edward Schreibeis from Drake Hospital in Ohio and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 07/09/ Charged: 08/18/
Charged with murder of patient Virgil Weddle from Drake Hospital in Ohio and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 07/09/ Charged: 08/18/
Charged with attempted murder of patient Harold White from Drake Hospital in Ohio and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 07/09/ Charged: 08/18/
Charged with murder of Edward Wilson from his home and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 07/09/ Charged: 08/18/
Charged with murder of patient James Wood from Drake Hospital in Ohio and was indicted of the charges
August 21, 1987
Hamilton County, Ohio; Harvey would go to court to hear his plea. There was no trial, no arguments from either attorney, just the reading of his indictments which he pleaded guilty to each. Each of the twenty-nine indictments was read and since Harvey plead guilty to each the judge went ahead with his sentencing based on the plea agreement. He received three consecutive life terms; with the minimum time actually served for a life sentence would be twenty years, Harvey would be in incarcerated for sixty years.
August 21, 1987
Since Harvey had been under a plea agreement he was told by his attorney that if he admitted to any more murders in Hamilton County that he would be a “dead man”
January 22, 1988
Harvey was indicted for three more murders at Drake: Nathaniel Watson, Doris Nally, and Henry Cody. He was indicted for three more counts of attempted murder there as well: Willie Johnson, Lawrence Bernsden, and Anna Hood.
Returned to Hamilton County Pleas Court where he again faced Judge Mathews. He was sentences to twenty years to life on each of the murders and ten to twenty- five years on each of the attempted murders; the sentences were to run concurrently with the life terms he was already serving. Harvey had now been convicted of twenty-eight counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder in Hamilton County, Ohio. September 6, 1987 35
Harvey agreed to a taped confession where he would provide names and details of deaths in which he caused at Marymount Hospital and would plead guilty to any criminal charges brought by a Laurel County grand jury. Confessed: 09/09/ Charged: 11/02/
Charged with murder of patient John V. Combs from Marymount Hospital in Kentucky and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 09/09/ Charged: 11/02/
Charged with murder of patient Ben H. Gilbert from Marymount Hospital in Kentucky and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 09/09/ Charged: 11/02/
Charged with voluntary manslaughter of patient Eugene McQueen from Marymount Hospital in Kentucky and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 09/09/ Charged: 11/02/
Charged with murder of patient Viola Reed Wyan from Marymount Hospital in Kentucky and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 09/09/ Charged: 11/02/
Charged with murder of patient Elizabeth Wyatt from Marymount Hospital in Kentucky and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 10/21/ Charged: 11/02/
Charged with murder of patient William Bowling from Marymount Hospital in Kentucky and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 10/21/ Charged: 11/02/
Charged with murder of patient Silas Butner from Marymount Hospital in Kentucky and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 10/21/ Charged: 11/02/
Charged with murder of patient Maude Nichols from Marymount Hospital in Kentucky and was indicted of the charges
Confessed: 10/21/ Charged: 11/02/
Charged with murder of patient Maggie Rawlins from Marymount Hospital in Kentucky and was indicted of the charges
1988 35 Although Harvey had confessed to killing thirteen patients, only ten victims could be corroborated. Three of his claimed victims could not be identified. 1988 35 The grand jury returned indictments on eight counts of murder: William Bowling, Maude Nichols, Viola Wyan, Silas Butner, John Combs, Maggie Rawlins, Ben
Number of victims Harvey confessed to 87; however, he was only convicted of 36 murders, and one intentional manslaughter Country where killing occurred United States States where killing occurred Ohio and Kentucky Type of killer Angel of Death Height Unknown
Childhood Information
Date of birth April 15, 1952 Location Booneville, Kentucky Birth order 1 st^ of 3 Number of siblings 2 XYY? Unknown – exudes many feminine characteristics and behaviors Raised by Both parents – however, his grandmother and neighbors played a large part in raising him as well. Birth category Oldest Parent’s marital status Separated for a short time when young, but reconciled shortly after. Family event Separated due to abuse by both parties Age of family event 3 Problems in school? Yes – was teased Teased while in school? Yes – was called a sissy because all the girls liked him. Physically attractive? Yes – was always obsessed with his looks. He even went to the lengths of wearing dress clothes as a child to elementary school. Physical defect? No Speech defect? No Head injury? • Father fell asleep holding him and dropped him – didn’t seem to be seriously injured but his soft spot hadn’t closed. (6 months)
- Fell off running board of a truck resulting in a 10- centimeter long cut on the back of his head (5 years old)
- Tried to commit suicide by driving his car off a mountain road, resulting in a serious head injury. Physically abused? No evidence found. Psychologically abused? Father called him feminine names. Sexually abused? (^) • Uncle Wayne would abuse him when he went to grandmother’s house starting when he was 4 and the relationship continued for 16 years.
- Dan Thomas, an older neighbor, sexually abused him starting at age 5 for 15 years. Father’s occupation First was a tobacco farmer, then worked in a factory, and then as a door-fitter with Mosler Safe Company Age of first sexual experience Nonconsensual – 4 Consensual – 16 Age when first had intercourse Consensual – 16 Mother’s occupation Homemaker Father abused drugs/alcohol No Mother abused drugs/alcohol No Cognitive Ability Highest grade in school 9 – left school in order to accelerate his graduation (his principal noted this).
Highest degree GED Grades in school High marks IQ Unknown – was noted how intelligent he is though. Work History Served in the military? Branch Air force Type of discharge Tried to commit suicide by overdosing on NyQuil. Follow- up of that incident led to disclosure of his previous arrest and subsequent therapy in Kentucky. Because he had concealed that history from the recruiter, he was discharged from the Air Force. This was classified as medical, under honorable conditions. Saw combat duty No Killed enemy during service? N/A Applied for job as a cop? No Worked in law enforcement? No Fired from jobs? (^) • Was laid off of a factory job due to work being slow.
- Was forced to resign from VA Hospital for bringing a pistol to work in his gym bag, which was explicitly against policy. (July 18, 1985) Types of jobs worked Factory worker very early, but then became a nursing assistant for most of his career. Employment status during series Employed as a nursing assistant.
Relationships
Sexual preference Homosexual Marital status Single Number of children 2 Lives with his children No – there is some confusion on if they are his children or not Living with One was adopted; one lives with mother.
Triad
Animal torture Hacked a chick in two with a hoe. (age 9) Fire setting Set a fire in a bathroom of an empty apartment in the building where he lived because he was depressed. Bed wetting Unknown
Killer Psychological Information
Abused drugs? No – however did attempt suicide with over the counter drugs multiple times. Used Deseryl, prescribed by his psychiatrist. Abused alcohol? No Been to a psychologist? Yes – went to a psychiatrist three times after an arrest around age 19. Later started receiving regular treatment by a psychiatrist (Dr. Mark Barbara) after becoming extremely depressed about his break-up with Carl. Time in forensic hospital? Was in a psychiatric unit reserved for inmates while awaiting trial; however, did not serve time in one. Diagnosis Psychopathic-type personality disorder
Killer Criminal History
Committed previous crimes? Was arrested for arson – paid a $50 fine. Was arrested for suspicion of burglary in his apartment building; the real reason for the arrest was to question Donald about the occult. Spend time in jail? No Spend time in prison? No
Sentencing Date killer arrested April 6, 1987 Date convicted August 21, 1987 – Ohio October 21, 1987 – Kentucky Sentence (^) • Ohio – 20 years to life for each murder; 10-25 for each attempted murder. These were to be served concurrently to the murder convictions. He also was fined $270,000. Civil suits brought by the families of the victims and the hospitals asked for $235,000,000.
- Kentucky – Life in prison for each murder; 20 years for manslaughter. These were to be served in Ohio concurrent to the murder convictions. Killer executed? No Did killer plead NGRI? No – did not meet the criteria for NGRI Was the NGRI plea successful? N/A Name and state of prison Warren County Correctional Facility Killer committed suicide? Attempted during his depressions of his youth. Killer killed in prison? No Date of death Still alive References
Angels of Death. Retrieved November 15, 2005. http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_story/1053:50/1/Angels_of_Death.htm. Donald Harvey. Retrieved November 15, 2005. http://www.crimezzz.net/serialkillerrs/H/HARVEY_donald.php. Horn, D. Angel of Death. Retrieved September 25, 2005 from The Cincinnati Post website: http://global.factiva.com/en/arch/print_results.asp. Lohr, D. Angel of Death The Donald Harvey Story. Retrieved September 25, 2005 from Court TV’s The Crime Library website: www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/weird/donald_harvey/1.html. Whalen, William (2005). Defending Donald Harvey: the case of America’s most notorious angel-of-death serial killer. Cincinnati: Emmis Books.
