Grand Jury Calls 2 Nurses In VA Deaths

Grand Jury Calls 2 Nurses In VA Deaths

BY WILLIAM B. TREML

 News Courts Reporter

The attorney for two Filipino nurses, questioned by a federal grand jury probing patient deaths at the local Veterans Administration Hospital, says his clients may be only the first of a number of persons called in to testify.

Thomas O'Brien, counsel for Miss Filipina Narcisco and Mrs. Leonie Perez, says he does not believe either woman has been "singled out” as a suspect in the case.

“If there were sufficient evidence a warrant would have been issued by this time,” O’Brien, son of Washtenaw County Juvenile Court Judge Francis L. O'Brien said. “We've told the U.S. attorney we’ll cooperate. But there’s nothing on the record which shows any hard evidence.”

Miss Narcisco, of 932 E. Cross St., Ypsilanti, and Mrs. Perez, who lives with her husband and small son at 1117 Nielson Court in Ann Arbor, were witnesses before the federal grand jury in Detroit last Thursday. Both had been nurses assigned to the VA Hospital's Intensive Care Ward at the time a total of 56 breathing failures occurred to patients in that ward last July and August. Eleven patients died and of that number six of the deaths were classified at one time as “suspicious."

Traces of pancuronium, a powerful muscle relaxant was found in the body fluids of some of ’the patients affected. Investigators said the drug may have been intentionally injected into patients who were being gjven intravenous therapy at the time. Persons receiving pancuronium must be attached to a respirator to prevent suffocation.

Attorney O'Brien declined to comment on one report that inconsistencies has appeared in answers given by Miss Narciso
during a lie detector test administered some time ago by FBI agents. He said he was not legal counsel for the nurses when the tests were given.

However, he said the fact Miss Narciso will appear a second time before the grand jury is probably not connected with any lie test results.

“It was simply a matter of time,” O’Brien said. “Mrs. Perez testified for about three hours last Thursday. When Miss Narciso was summoned it was almost the end of the working day. so she was asked, and we agreed, to reappear in a couple of weeks."

O’Brien said there appeared to be no "immediacy” on the need of Miss Narcisco’s second appearance.

The attorney said both women are between 25 and 30 and have been working as registered nurses at the VA Hospital at 2215 Fuller Road for several years. He said they are listed as “permanent residents” of the United States but retain their Phillippine citizenship.

A VA Hospital spokesman said this morning that both women had excellent work records. He said they are not now on Intensive Care Ward duty.

One source said the test given Miss Narciso “looked very bad." On that point O'Brien said such a result could have been caused, by a language gap. He said both Miss Narciso and Mrs. Perez speak good English but their interpretation of questions could well have resulted in answers which appeared to be inconsistent on the lie machine.

O’Brien said Mrs. Perez some time ago asked for a transfer to another VA Hospital near Chicago. He said that transfer recently was approved and she and her family are planning to move to their new home this weekend.

'Both she and her husband have relatives in the Chicago area and the move is a personal matter,” O’Brien said. “We’ve assured federal, authorities she would be made available if she is needed in further grand jury proceedings."

O’Brien admitted that there had been an attempt to keep Mrs. Perez in Ann Arbor while the investigation continues but he interceded on that point.

“They had already obtained an apartment, made plans and then suddenly we’re told the transfer might be held up,” O'Brien said. “That isn’t the way to do things. We were able to keep the transfer in effect."

O'Brien said he could not comment directly on one report that FBI agents had once questioned Miss Narciso for six consecutive hours at the VA Hospital. He said he had not been retained as the nurse's attorney at that time.

“I understand the FBI was very aggressive’ the lawyer said. “I don't know about charges by other nurses that Miss Narciso was harassed.”

He said he did know that federal agents went to Miss Narciso’s home in Ypsilanti on more than one occasion to question her. He said that since he has become legal counsel for both nurses interviews are held with him present and by appointment.

O'Brien said he had met with Richard Delonis, U.S. attorney-in Detroit, at the time his two clients appeared before the grand jury last week. He said he told Delonis both women would be available if they were needed for future testimony.

Delonis has an FBI report covering hundreds of pages on the VA Hospital investigation, most of it dealing with interviews conducted by agents.

At one point more than 800 persons were listed as interview possibilities and at the height of the probe, there were a score of FBI agents stationed at the hospital.