Oklahoma doctor charged with five counts of second-degree murder

OKLAHOMA CITY – An Oklahoma doctor is facing five counts of second-degree murder in connection to the deaths of several patients.

On Friday, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter charged Dr. Regan Nichols with five counts of second-degree murder in connection to the deaths of five patients during her time at a Midwest City Clinic.

“Our investigation has revealed that during a period of approximately five years, Dr. Nichols prescribed extremely large quantities of controlled substances in suspect combinations, including the most abused and sought after prescription drugs on the street, to numerous patients with very little medical examination or the establishment of a valid doctor-patient relationship and for no legitimate medical need. During this same time period, ten (10) patients have died from overdoses of the very same drugs she was prescribing in massive doses,” the probable cause affidavit states.

Agents say they found five individuals who died after being prescribed more than 1,800 opioid pills in the same months as their deaths.

The Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office determined that all five deaths were the result of multi-drug toxicity.

Three of the five individuals were prescribed a deadly combination of a narcotic opioid pain reliever, an anti-anxiety drug, and a muscle relaxer.

Data gathered by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics indicates that from Jan. 1, 2010 to Oct. 7, 2014, Nichols prescribed in excess of 3 million dosage units of controlled dangerous substances.

In 2015, Nichols was stripped of her ability to prescribe controlled dangerous substances.

“I appreciate the effort from everyone who worked as a team and put this case together,” Attorney General Hunter said. “The dangers associated with opioid drugs have been well documented and most doctors follow strict guidelines when prescribing opioids to their patients. Nichols prescribed patients, who entrusted their well-being to her, a horrifyingly excessive amount of opioid medications. Nichols’ blatant disregard for the lives of her patients is unconscionable.”

Source  kfor.com