Three former nursing home employees have pleaded guilty to their roles in the death of a World War II veteran whose cries for help were ignored, the DeKalb County District Attorney said Thursday.
Loyce Pickquet Agyeman, Wanda Nuckles and Mable Turman pleaded guilty to various charges in the 2014 death of 89-year-old James Dempsey, found in his room at the Northeast Atlanta Rehabilitation Center. Four years after Dempsey’s death, the trio was indicted after a family member captured the neglect on a hidden camera.
“This is a landmark case for the State of Georgia and for DeKalb County,” DA Sherry Boston said in an emailed statement. “As a result of this case, the Georgia Supreme Court has ruled that families have a right to install video recording equipment in their loved one’s nursing home spaces. It is an important precedent for victims’ rights and safety. We are pleased that these defendants have accepted responsibility for their callous disregard of Mr. Dempsey’s pain and suffering, which unfortunately led to his death.
“We hope these pleas send a message to nursing home employees to treat their patients with dignity and respect, and we hope the resolution of this case will provide some measure of comfort and closure for his family,” Boston said.
Agyeman, 67, of Snellville, a former licensed nurse, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of involuntary manslaughter, neglect of an elder person and concealing the death of another. DeKalb Superior Court Judge Shondeana Morris sentenced Agyeman to serve eight years in prison, the DA’s office said.
Agyeman was previously charged with murder and neglect to an elder person, the DA’s office said in February 2018. Nuckles, also a former licensed nurse, was charged with depriving an elder person of essential services. Turman, a certified nurse assistant, was charged with neglect to an elder person. All three were indicted for concealing a death.
On Wednesday, Nuckles, 65, pleaded guilty to a single count of concealing the death of another and was sentenced to a year in prison. Agyeman and Nuckles had been scheduled for trial next week, the DA said.
Turman entered a guilty plea last month and was sentenced to five years on probation, the DA’s office said.
Dempsey was recovering from hip surgery at the nursing home in 2014 when his son became concerned about “strange things” his father said were taking place, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
A resident tried to climb into bed with him, Dempsey said. Personal items, including hearing aids, were taken from the room, and Dempsey often had to wait for help, his son noted. With his father’s permission, Dempsey’s son installed a video camera that was hidden inside a clock radio in the room.
It was footage from that camera that led Dempsey’s family to file a lawsuit, leading to a criminal investigation into his death.
On six occasions in the video from the morning he died, Dempsey can be seen pressing the “call/help light button” from his bed, Channel 2 Action News reported in 2015.
He can also be seen yelling, “help, help, help,” and appears to be pointing to his heart. At one point a nurse on the video says, “you gotta stop putting the light on. What do you want now?” A nurse also tells him, “you’re having anxiety that’s all, you just need to calm down.”
About two hours after the initial call light, the nurses are seen administering CPR for several minutes and then the video shows the paramedics arriving, Channel 2 reported. By then it is too late to save Dempsey’s life.
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