‘Killer Nurse’ Genene Jones indicted on new murder charge

Genene Jones, nicknamed the “Killer Nurse”, was indicted today on a new murder charge.

Jones is accused of murdering 11-month-old Joshua Sawyer on December 12th, 1981 using the sedative drug Dilantin, otherwise known as Phenytoin.  Jones is currently in prison in Gatesville, according to TDCJ records. She is currently up for parole in March of 2018.

Although she remains behind bars, the presiding judge set bond at $1,000,000 in the case and imposed the following conditions of bond:

• GPS Monitoring – Full House Arrest
• No contact with children under the age of 18
• No contact with any medical facility of any kind unless related to the defendant’s own care.
• No contact with any childcare facility.

SAN ANTONIO
Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood is speaking out on the new murder charge against convicted baby killer and former nurse Genene Jones. A Bexar County Grand Jury indicted the 66-year-old Thursday. She is now charged with murdering 11-month old Joshua Sawyer in 1981 when she worked at Bexar County Hospital, which is now University Hospital.

Bexar County District Attorney speaks about “Killer Nurse” case

According to LaHood, Jones is suspected of killing up to 60 infants by injecting them with lethal drug doses. However, she was convicted of only murdering one and injuring another in 1984. Because of a mandatory release law in place at the time of her conviction, Jones is set to be released in March of next year.

LaHood promised victims and families when he took office that he would do everything in his power ethically and legally to keep Jones behind bars. He’s convinced his office has a case.

“We are moving forward in good faith with evidence provided to us that we believe if presented to a jury we will secure a conviction,” said LaHood.

LaHood added if they can bring more evidence of Jones’ guilt in other murders, they will do so.

“Babies were taken from their families,” he said. “Infant children were murdered by, who I believe, is an evil woman and that’s not going to go unnoticed. These children matter.”

Meanwhile victims and their families say they are relieved to hear of the new charge. Kay Reichenau’s daughter Misty was treated by Jones in 1982. Reicheanu believes Jones injected her daughter with a drug used to induce short term paralysis which can lead to cardiac arrest. Misty survived, but Reicheanu says she’s never gotten over that trauma.

“We didn’t want her out,” said Reicheanu. “She’s a serial killer. My daughter is alive and praise the Lord for that, but why would you let a serial killer out under any circumstance?”

Jones is currently at a woman’s prison in Gatesville. Her bond for this new charge has been set at $1,000,000.

Killer nurse may be set free on mandatory release

Background Story from May 2016

SAN ANTONIO — A former San Antonio nurse, known as the “Angel of Death”, may be let out of prison on mandatory early release. Genene Jones, who was convicted of murder for the death of one baby, was accused of killing dozens of others in the San Antonio area back in the early 80’s. Kerrville mom, Kay Reichenau, who said Jones poisoned her baby right in front of her eyes, is hoping for a new conviction on an old case.

The Texas law designed to prevent prison overcrowding allows inmates convicted of violent crimes between 1977 and 1987 to be automatically released after so many year, for good behavior.  That law has since been changed, but it is not retroactive.

“When the trial was here everybody thought 99 years, great,” Reichenau said.

The reality is Genene Jones will be set free on mandatory early release after serving only 33 years, in March of 2018.

“It’s very frustrating to think that somebody who, you know, killed children, tried to kill you; that they’re going to walk,” said Reichenau’s daughter, Misty Kothe.

Misty is grown up now and in fact has a daughter nearly the same age that she was when her mother brought her to a Kerr County pediatric clinic in September of 1982.

“Genene said go out and we’ll start the IV,” Reichenau said. “I said, no. I stay with my kids, I’ll be fine.”

She said her daughter went limp immediately after Jones started the IV.

“I screamed, there’s something wrong; you gotta get something going,” Reichenau said. “Genene said, you get out of here. I said, no; still not leaving.”

She remembers watching as Misty went into respiratory arrest just before she was rushed to Kerrville’s Sid Peterson Memorial Hospital and then subsequently airlifted to Bexar County Hospital.

“We spent five days in the ICU at Bexar County of them running every test in the world on Misty, saying there’s nothing wrong with her,” Reichenau said.

Her assumption is that Jones injected her daughter with succinylcholine, a drug used to induce short term paralysis that can lead to cardiac arrest.

News 4 reached out to Jones directly to request an interview.  She did not respond, and to this day, Jones has never admitted to anything.  It would later be revealed that Jones injected 15 month old Chelsea McClellan with succinylcholine in the same pediatric clinic when she came in for routine vaccines.  This would be the only baby death Jones was convicted on, but it wasn’t the only one she was accused of.

Prior to working in Kerr County, she worked in the pediatric intensive care unit at Bexar County Hospital.

“They had already figured out that a lot of babies were getting sick on Genene’s shift and by sick, I mean critically sick, like dying,” Reichenau said.

It came to be known by some as the “death shift.”

“This is a true evil, wicked lady that 30 something years behind bars does not rehabilitate,” Misty said.

“I hate her,” Reichenau said. “I hate what she is. I hate what she stands for and I hate what she did.”

Misty and her mom aren’t alone in their hope that new evidence will surface.

“We’re actively looking at evidence to see if we can charge her with another offense, and the hope would be another conviction, more jail time,” said Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood. “The hope, for me, would be that she meets the Lord from prison.”

LaHood said his office is already investigating and he makes it clear, he thinks Jones is guilty of murdering other babies.

“I think she needs to be held accountable,” LaHood said. “I’m going to do everything in my power ethically and legally, to make that happen.”

Jones was charged with the deaths of six babies, but is thought to have been linked to nearly 40.

 

Source  news4sanantonio.com