Donald Harvey

Donald Harvey (April 15, 1952 – March 30, 2017) was an American serial killer who claimed to have murdered 87 people, though he has 37 confirmed victims. He was able to do this during his time as a hospital orderly. His spree took place between 1970 and 1987.

Harvey claimed to have begun killing to "ease the pain" of patientsmostly cardiac patientsby smothering them with their pillows. However, he gradually grew to enjoy killing and became a self-described "angel of death". At the time of his death, Harvey was serving 28 life sentences at the Toledo Correctional Institution in Toledo, Ohio, having pleaded guilty to murder charges to avoid execution.

Early life Donald Harvey was born in Hamilton, Ohio on April 15, 1952, the oldest of three children born to Ray and Goldie Harvey. He was raised in the tiny Appalachian town of Booneville, Kentucky, where his parents were struggling tobacco farmers and members of the local Baptist church.

From the ages of five to eighteen, Harvey was sexually molested by both an uncle and a neighbor, but he told no one except his sister, and only after the abuse ended. Harvey dropped out of school in the ninth grade, After an arrest for burglary in March 1971, Harvey enlisted in the United States Air Force, but was discharged after nine months due to two suicide attempts; after these nervous breakdowns, he came to terms with his homosexuality.

Murders Harvey began working in hospitals at the age of 18 as an orderly at the Marymount Hospital in London, Kentucky. At Marymount, Harvey committed his first murders. His first victim was 88-year-old Logan Evans, an incontinent stroke victim, whom Harvey smothered with a pillow in May 1970, after the patient smeared feces on him. He later confessed that during the ten-month period he worked at the hospital, he killed at least a dozen patients. Harvey was insistent that he killed purely out of a sense of empathy for the suffering of those who were terminally ill but admitted that many of the killings were committed due to anger at the victims. His victims ranged from middle age to elderly and were unusually broad in range, including men and women of various races, ethnicities and backgrounds. The only thing they had in common was that they were all cardiac patients.

The full extent of Harvey's crimes may never be known since so many were undetected for so long. He did not use any particular modus operandi and used many methods to kill his victims, such as: arsenic, cyanide, insulin, suffocation, miscellaneous poisons, morphine, turning off ventilators, administration of fluid tainted with hepatitis B and/or HIV (which resulted in a hepatitis infection, but no HIV infection, and illness rather than death), and insertion of a coat hanger into a catheter, causing an abdominal puncture and subsequent peritonitis. Cyanide and arsenic were his most-used methods, with Harvey administering them via food or injections. The majority of Harvey's crimes took place at Marymount Hospital, the Cincinnati V.A. Medical Hospital, and Cincinnati's Drake Memorial Hospital. At various times, he worked as an orderly or an autopsy assistant.

Harvey did not limit his victims to helpless hospital patients. When he suspected his lover and roommate Carl Hoeweler of infidelity, he poisoned Hoeweler's food with arsenic so he would be too ill to leave their apartment. He poisoned two of his neighborssickening one, Diane Alexander, by putting hepatitis serum in her drink, and killing the other, Helen Metzger, by putting arsenic in her pie. He also killed Hoeweler's father Henry with arsenic.

Pat Minarcin, then an anchor at Cincinnati station WCPO-TV, found it unlikely that someone who had spent almost two decades caring for patients could suddenly kill one without having killed before. During his report on the night of Harvey's arrest, Minarcin asked on-air if there had been any other deaths. It was soon revealed that several nurses at Drake had raised concerns with administrators upon noticing a spike in deaths while Harvey was employed there, but they had been ordered to keep quiet. Not wanting to chance that he would be acquitted, the nurses contacted Minarcin and told him that there was evidence Harvey killed at least ten more people. Over the next several months, Minarcin investigated the suspicious deaths and amassed enough evidence to air a half-hour special report detailing evidence that linked Harvey to at least 24 murders in a four-year period. Harvey had been able to stay under the radar in part because he worked in an area of Drake where patients were not expected to survive. The plea agreement allowed prosecutors to seek a death sentence if more murders came to light. Ultimately, Harvey pleaded guilty to 37 murders. However, he confessed to killing as many as 50 people.

Death On March 28, 2017, Harvey was found in his cell severely beaten. He died two days later, on March 30, 2017. On May 3, 2019, fellow inmate James Elliott was charged with aggravated murder and other charges related to Harvey's death. In September 2019, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to killing Harvey. The sentence was originally ordered to run consecutively to his other sentences, but was later changed to run concurrently, making Elliott eligible for parole in 2046 at age 71. Prior to the murder of Harvey, Elliott had been convicted of burglary, attempted burglary and aggravated burglary, totaling up to 62 counts. He was also convicted of attempted possession of a deadly weapon under detention and two counts of felonious assault while in prison.

Elliott claimed that he murdered Harvey to protest prison conditions and in an act of vigilante justice. Elliott said he grew up near Harvey's victims in Kentucky and claimed that he had wanted to give their families closure. Elliott did not personally know any of Harvey's victims. However, his mother claimed that he had become angry when Harvey reportedly bragged about having murdered elderly people. Judge Myron Duhart told Elliott, "No matter how bad a person is, that does not give you the right to be the judge, jury, and executioner." Prosecutors claimed that Elliott had targeted Harvey out of jealousy since he was receiving different meals at the prison because of his religion.

Known victims +Source: Victim Name Age Gender State Date of murder Type of murder Method 1 Logan Evans 88 M Kentucky May 31, 1970 Intentional, non-premeditated Suffocation; smothered with a pillow and plastic bag 2 James Tyree 69 M Kentucky May 31, 1970 Accidental Harvey gave Tyree the wrong catheter, causing him to vomit blood and die 3 Elizabeth Wyatt 42 F Kentucky June 22, 1970 Intentional, non-premeditated Suffocation; cut off her oxygen supply 4 Eugene McQueen 43 M Kentucky July 10, 1970 Intentional, non-premeditated Drowning; turned over on his back, causing him to drown in his own fluids 5 Harvey Williams 82 M Kentucky July 12, 1970 Accidental Cardiac arrest; was given a faulty oxygen tank 6 Ben Gilbert 81 M Kentucky July 24–28, 1970 Intentional, premeditated Organ infection; had knocked Harvey out with a urinal; Harvey gave him a catheter that was too large and then put a straightened coat hanger through it and into Gilbert's urethra, puncturing his bladder and bowel; went into instant shock and a coma, where he died four days later 7 Maude Nichols 64 F Kentucky August 15, 1970 Intentional, non-premeditated Cardiac arrest; was given a faulty oxygen tank 8 William Bowling 58 M Kentucky August 30, 1970 Intentional, non-premeditated Heart attack; cut off his oxygen supply 9 Viola Reed Wyran 63 F Kentucky November 4, 1970 Intentional, premeditated Suffocation, attempted to kill her by smothering her with a pillow and plastic bag but was interrupted; later killed her by giving her a faulty oxygen tank 10 Margaret Harrison 91 F Kentucky December 6, 1970 Intentional, non-premeditated Drug overdose; overdosed her on demerol, codeine, and morphine 11 Sam Carroll 80 M Kentucky January 6, 1971 Intentional, premeditated Suffocation; given a faulty oxygen tank 12 Maggie Rawlins N/A F Kentucky January 15, 1971 Intentional, premeditated Suffocation; smothered with a pillow and a plastic bag between it and her face 13 Silas Butner 62 M Kentucky January 23, 1971 Intentional, non-premeditated Suffocation; given a faulty oxygen tank 14 John V. Combs 68 M Kentucky January 26, 1971 Intentional, premeditated Suffocation; attempted to smother him with a plastic bag, but instead gave him a faulty oxygen tank 15 Milton Bryant Sasser 91 M Kentucky March 14, 1971 Intentional, premeditated Drug overdose; overdosed him on morphine 16 Helen Metzger 63 F Ohio April 10, 1983 Intentional, premeditated Internal injuries; after an argument with Harvey, Metzger was given arsenic after a tracheotomy, causing paralysis and hemorrhaging 17 Henry Hoeweler 82 M Ohio 1983 (unspecified date) Intentional, premeditated Stroke and kidney failure; poisoned with arsenic 18 Howard Vetter N/A M Ohio 1983 (unspecified date) Accidental Heart attack; drank alcohol Harvey had poisoned 19 Hiram Profitt N/A M Ohio September 19, 1984 Accidental Drug overdose; overdosed him on heparin 20 James Peluso 65 M Ohio November 9, 1984 Intentional, premeditated Cardiac arrest; poisoned with arsenic, was one of Harvey's ex-lovers 21 Edward Wilson N/A M Ohio March 18–25, 1985 Intentional, non-premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with arsenic, died 5 days after poisoning 22 Nathanial J. Watson 65 M Ohio April 8, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Suffocation; smothered with a wet plastic garbage bag liner; unsuccessfully attempted several times prior 23 Leon Nelson 64 M Ohio April 14, 1986 Intentional, non-premeditated Suffocation; smothered with a wet plastic garbage bag liner 24 Virgil Weddle 81 M Ohio April 19, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Heart attack; poisoned with rat poison in his pudding 25 Lawrence Berndsen N/A M Ohio April 20–23, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned repeatedly with rat poison; died three days later 26 Doris Nally 65 F Ohio May 2, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with cyanide in her apple juice 27 Willie Johnson N/A M Ohio May–June 1986 (unspecified date) Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; attempted to poison with arsenic repeatedly 28 Edward Schreibesis 63 M Ohio June 20, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with arsenic in his soup 29 Robert Crockett 80 M Ohio June 29, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with cyanide in his I.V. 30 Donald Barney 91 M Ohio July 7, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; fed cyanide through a feeding tube and injected it into his buttocks 31 James T. Woods 65 M Ohio July 25, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with cyanide through his gastric tube 32 Ernst C. Frey 85 M Ohio August 16, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with arsenic through his gastric tube 33 Milton Canter 85 M Ohio August 29, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with cyanide through his nasal tube 34 Roger Evans 74 M Ohio September 17, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with cyanide through his gastric tube 35 Clayborn Kendrick N/A M Ohio September 20, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with cyanide through both his gastric tube and an injection into his testes 36 Albert Buehimann 69 M Ohio October 27, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with cyanide dissolved in his cup of water 37 William Collins 85 M Ohio October 30, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with cyanide dissolved in his orange juice 38 Henry Cody 78 M Ohio November 4, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with cyanide dissolved in water through his gastric tube 39 Mose Thompson 65 M Ohio November 22, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with cyanide through his nasal tube 40 Odas Day 72 M Ohio December 9, 1986 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with a cyanide solution 41 Cleo Fish 67 F Ohio December 10, 1986 Intentional, non-premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with cyanide in her cranberry juice; removed a lock of her hair post-mortem and burned it 42 Leo Parker 47 M Ohio January 1, 1987 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with cyanide in his feed bag 43 Margaret Kuckro 80 F Ohio February 5, 1987 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with cyanide in her orange juice 44 Stella Lemon 76 F Ohio February–March 16, 1987 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with a cyanide solution 45 Joseph M. Pike 68 M Ohio March 6, 1987 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with detachol 46 Hilda Leitz 82 F Ohio March 7, 1987 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with detachol in her G-tube and her orange juice 47 John W. Powell 44 M Ohio March 7, 1987 Intentional, premeditated Poisoning; poisoned with cyanide in his gastric feeding tube

Media WCPO-TV's I-Team, created in 1988, investigated Harvey's crimes. They received several awards for their efforts. Autopsy covered Harvey's crimes in the 1995 episode "The Angel of Death". Infamous Murders covered Harvey's case alongside two others in its first episode "Angels of Death", first aired in 2001. Dr. G: Medical Examiner covered the case in the 2009 episode "Killers Among Us". My Favorite Murder featured Harvey's case in its 110th episode, released in 2018. Harvey was mentioned along with Elizabeth Wettlaufer in the Season 14 episode of Criminal Minds entitled "Broken Wing", first aired in 2018. The podcast And That's Why We Drink covers the case in its the 159th episode "A Sinister Vibe Check and the Governor of Noodletown", released in 2020.