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(CLARKSBURG, W.Va.) U.S. Army veteran Felix McDermott was affectionally known by his grandchildren as “Snappy Pappy.” He would have seen his family grow even larger had he not been murdered at the VA in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
Reta Mays has never explained why she killed the seven veterans and assaulted an eighth with the intent to kill. She offered no hint of motive when she tearfully addressed the court Tuesday before the judge imposed seven consecutive life sentences.
“There are no words I can say that would offer the families any comfort,” Mays said. “I can only say I m sorry for the pain I caused the families and my family. I don t ask for forgiveness because I don t think I could forgive anyone who did what I did.”
W.Va. News
By JOHN RABY Associated Press
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) A former nursing assistant who killed seven elderly veterans with fatal injections of insulin at a West Virginia hospital was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday by a federal judge who called her “the monster that no one sees coming.”
Reta Mays has a history of mental health issues, and offered no explanation Tuesday for why she killed the men. But U.S. District Judge Thomas Kleeh told her “you knew what you were doing” before sentencing her to seven consecutive life terms, a punishment that means she’ll likely die in prison.
‘Monster:’ 7 life sentences for ex-hospital worker in deaths of elderly veterans
Reta Mays has history of mental health issues
John Raby
Updated:
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FILE - This photo released July 14, 2020, by the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority shows Reta Mays. Mays, a former nursing assistant at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, W.V., is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday, May 11, 2021, for her guilty plea to intentionally killing seven patients with fatal doses of insulin. (West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority via AP) (West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A former nursing assistant who killed seven elderly veterans with fatal injections of insulin at a West Virginia hospital was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday by a federal judge who called her the monster that no one sees coming.”
Monster : 7 Life Sentences for Ex-Hospital Worker Who Killed 7 Elderly Vets With Deadly Injections – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth nbcdfw.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nbcdfw.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
I know that there s no words that I can say that would alter the families pain and comfort, she said. I don t ask for forgiveness because I don t think I could forgive anyone for doing what I did.
Reta Mays West Virginia Regional Jail & Correctional Facility Authority
Hospital officials reported the deaths to the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general and fired Mays after evidence pointed to her.
An interview with Mays after her guilty plea was included in a lengthy report released after Tuesday s sentencing by the inspector general s office detailing deficiencies at the hospital.
In it, she said she administered insulin to patients she believed were suffering so that they could pass gently. She said she also had great stress and chaos in her personal and professional life, and that her actions gave her a sense of control.