Jennifer Ann Hall

Serial Killer

Jennifer Anne Hall: The Missouri Hospital Deaths

Who Was Jennifer Anne Hall?

Jennifer Anne Hall was a respiratory therapist who worked at Hedrick Medical Center in Chillicothe, Missouri, from December 2001 until May 2002. During the approximately five months that Hall worked at the hospital, an unusually large number of patients experienced sudden and serious medical emergencies. Eighteen patients suffered "code blue" events, and nine of those patients died. Investigators later focused on Hall because she was reportedly present or nearby during many of these emergencies and because the number of codes dropped sharply after she was removed from duty. For years, Hall denied deliberately harming patients. The case remained unresolved for roughly two decades as investigators reviewed medical records, toxicology findings, witness statements and allegations that patients had been given medications that were not medically necessary. In 2022, Hall was finally arrested and charged in connection with one of the deaths. Additional charges followed, and in 2023 she entered a plea agreement that resulted in convictions for two patient deaths and an attempted assault involving another patient who survived.

How the Patients Were Harmed

The investigation centered on the suspected unauthorized use of powerful medications, including succinylcholine, morphine and insulin. Succinylcholine is a muscle-paralyzing medication used during certain medical procedures. If it is administered without proper respiratory support, it can paralyze the muscles needed for breathing and create a sudden, potentially fatal respiratory emergency. Insulin can also become extremely dangerous when given to someone who does not medically require it. Excessive insulin can cause blood sugar to fall to dangerously low levels, potentially leading to confusion, seizures, unconsciousness, brain injury or death. Investigators alleged that Hall used her position in the hospital to create or contribute to medical crises that could initially appear to be natural complications of a patient's illness. ...

Confirmed Victims: (2)

Fern Franco Age: (75), Date of Death: 2002-05-18

Suspected Victims:

Shirley R. Eller , Date of Death: 2002-03-09

David Wesley Harper Age: (37), Date of Death: 2009-03-21

Clarence Bailey Warner , Date of Death: 2002-04-15

Survivors:

Norma Pearson

Former respiratory therapist Jennifer Hall pleads guilty in deaths of ...