Genene Jones
| Genene Jones | |
|---|---|
 Incarceration photo | |
| Born |
13 July 1950 Texas |
Criminal penalty | 99 years with triple credit; mandatory release in 2017 |
| Killings | |
| Victims | two confirmed; possibly over 60 |
Span of killings | 1971–1984 |
| Country | U.S. |
| State(s) | Texas |
Date apprehended | 1984 |
Genene Anne Jones (born July 13, 1950) is a former pediatric nurse who killed somewhere between 1 and 46 infants and children in her care. She used injections of digoxin, heparin and later succinylcholine to induce medical crises in her patients, with the intention of reviving them afterward in order to receive praise and attention. These medications are known to cause heart paralysis and other complications when given as an overdose. Many children, however, did not survive the initial attack and could not be revived. The exact number of murders remain unknown, as hospital officials allegedly first misplaced then destroyed records of her activities to prevent further litigation after Jones' first conviction.
While working as a licensed vocational nurse at the Bexar County Hospital (now University Hospital of San Antonio) in the Pediatric Intensive care unit, it was determined that a statistically inordinate number of children Jones worked with were dying. Rather than pursue further investigation for fear of being sued, the hospital simply asked all of its LVNs, including Jones, to resign.
She then took a position at a pediatric physician's clinic in Kerrville, Texas, near San Antonio. It was here that she was charged with poisoning six children. The doctor in the office discovered puncture marks in a bottle of succinylcholine in the drug storage, where only she and Jones had access. Contents of the apparently full bottle were later found to be diluted. Jones claimed she was trying to stimulate creation of a pediatric intensive-care unit in Kerrville.[1][2]
In 1985, Jones was sentenced to 99 years in prison for killing 15-month-old Chelsea McClellan with succinylcholine. Later that year, she was sentenced to a concurrent term of 60 years in prison for nearly killing Rolando Jones with heparin. She will be scheduled for mandatory release in 2017 due to a Texas law to prevent prison overcrowding.[3] Jones is held in Dr Lane Murray Unit.
She was portrayed by Susan Ruttan in the television movie Deadly Medicine (1991) and by Alicia Bartya in the straight-to-video movie Mass Murder (2002). She was also featured in a Discovery Channel documentary, Lethal Injection, season five of Forensic Files entitled "Nursery Crimes" as well as the "Dark Secrets" episode of Investigation Discovery's Deadly Women, and was said to have inspired Annie Wilkes from Stephen King's Misery.
References
- ↑ Hickey, Eric (2010). Serial Murderers and Their Victims (5th edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-495-60081-7.
- ↑ Holmes, Ronald; Holmes, Stephen (1998). Contemporary Perspectives on Serial Murder. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-7619-1421-1.
- ↑ Schwartz, Carly (24 February 2011). "Genene Jones, Serial Baby Killer, Scheduled For Early Release In Texas". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 30 April 2013.