She was found guilty of the lesser homicide charge as well as gross neglect of an impaired adult, and found not guilty of reckless homicide, a more severe charge, in the death of 75-year-old Charlene Murphey, according to the Associated Press.
Vaught admitted that she made errors with the medication as her defense argued this week that what she did was not out of the ordinary, and said there were larger culture and systemic problems at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center that were also to blame, the AP reported.
The prosecution made the case that Vaught’s actions were negligent, saying she had multiple opportunities to prevent herself from making the fatal mistake that led to Murphey’s death, while the defense argued that finding her guilty for a mistake could set a precedent of medical professionals being subject to charges and punishments that are more severe than they deserve.
In December 2017, Murphey was admitted to the facility after suffering a brain bleed, the AP reported. In the days that followed, doctors ordered tests to determine the cause, one of which was a positron emission tomography (PET) scan which, like some other scans, involves lying stationary within a machine for a period of time.
Murphey was reportedly claustrophobic, and was prescribed the sedative Versed for her anxiety. When Vaught could not find the sedative in a drug dispensing cabinet, she submitted an override and was going to give Murphey something else to have the same effect.
However, without realizing, she picked up and injected Murphey with a dose of vecuronium, a drug used in anesthesia that prosecutors said likely stopped Murphey from being able to breathe, according to The Tennessean.
Vaught’s defense said she had been forthcoming and honest about the investigation since she realized she made a mistake, has been apologetic and clearly cares about Murphey’s family, has had her medical license revoked, and said that criminalizing medical mistakes could send a dangerous message to the medical community.
“Ms. Murphey’s family is at the forefront of my thoughts every day,” Vaught said after the verdict, according to the AP. “You don’t do something that impacts a family like this, that impacts a life, and not carry that burden with you.”
Nurses were in the courtroom along with Vaught’s family to show support through the trial, and the American Nurses Association issued a statement earlier this week defending Vaught, and repeating the concerns that turning medical mistakes into crimes punishable by prison time could severely harm the rate at which mistakes are honestly reported.
However, Donna Jones, a nurse legal consultant who was a witness for the prosecution, said that not only did Vaught choose the incorrect drug to begin with, but injected it without checking the name of the drug, failed to notice a warning label on the drug and did not stay with Murphey to see whether she might suffer from a reaction to the drug, the AP reported.
Prosecutors addressed the concerns of the medical community, and said this case would not be a precedent to charge other medical professionals, stating that the trial was about the actions of one individual who made serious mistakes, not an indictment of the larger medical community, the AP reported.
Vaught said she has not yet decided whether to appeal the verdict as a sentencing hearing is currently set to take place in May. She faces sentences of three to six years in prison for the neglect charge, as well as one to two years for the criminally negligent homicide, and will remain free on bail until her sentencing.
Update 3/25/22, 6:10 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information.
