What really caused nursing home deaths? | Forensic Files

foreign [Music] s deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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website Ed Chambers would do anything for his wife Marguerite the couple who lived in the city of
Grand Rapids Michigan were a team together they had provided a safe and a loving home for four children and built
successful careers but in 1972 Ed noticed a change in Marguerite's personality he's highly intelligent and quick-witted
wife became forgetful and Confused after seeking medical advice the couple received devastating news
at 42 years old Marguerite had Alzheimer's Disease an incurable type of dementia that destroys memory and
thinking skills over the following years Marguerite became frail and was unable to carry out
the simplest of everyday tasks Ed took an early retirement to help his wife but by the early 1980s he accepted
that Marguerite needed round of the clock Care by professionals live-in Care Facilities around Grand
Rapids at that time were few and far between so Marguerite's name was added to a long list of applicants
after a two-year wait a bed became available at Alpine Manor situated on the outskirts of Grand
Rapids and backing onto a densely wooded area the 208-bed nursing home was only three blocks from the chamber's house
this meant Ed could visit Marguerite as often as he wanted he couldn't believe his luck
when Ed Chambers approached the single-story brick facility he was greeted by the director of nursing who
gave him a tour Alpine Mana was divided into four wings each Wing had its own nursing station
the facility was very clean and the staff were polite and well presented in a common area residents sat together
chatting and playing games Ed had anticipated that the nursing home would be sterile and cold so he was
delighted to see that the floors were carpeted curtains hung from the windows and artwork lined to the walls
residents could visit a beauty shop and there was a designated dining room for meals
there were even craft activities and Social Studies classes on offer [Music] although Ed felt immense guilt at having
to move Margaret into Alpine Manor its homely atmosphere helped ease some of the pain
the director of nursing reassured Ed telling him that Alpine Manor had been assessed by the Michigan Health
Department as a standout nursing home facility by the mid-1980s Marguerite Chambers
could no longer walk or talk she spent all day in bed often curled in a ball and rocking back and forth
Ed still visited her every day the minute Marguerite heard his voice she stopped rocking and reached her hand
up for him to take he sat beside her holding her hand and talking to her occasionally she would make eye contact
Ed knew that she still recognized him each night Ed talked Margaret into bed and left her to the care of the staff at
Alpine Manor [Music] [Music] thank you 23 year old Kathy Wood dreamed of working in healthcare
she had done voluntary work as a nursing assistant in high school and enjoyed helping people
at age 17 Kathy's career was put on hold when she became pregnant now that her daughter was at school
Kathy was eager to rekindle her passion for nursing a nursing home a few blocks away was
hiring Alpine Manor Kathy Wood impressed the management with her enthusiasm she was hired as a nursing aide and
started immediately some residents only needed minor help such as assistance with getting dressed
or showering others were high needs residents who required help with daily living such as eating and drinking
bathing and turning in bed to prevent pressure sores before long Kathy came to know every
resident and their specific needs she was a hard worker intelligent and easy to talk to
before long she became a valued member of Alpine Manor's staff being a night owl Kathy gravitated
towards the night shift it was less busy than day shifts and gave her more time to socialize with her co-workers
nursing aides joked that Kathy was like one of the cool kids at high school because her colleagues followed her
around hanging off every word she said Kathy Wood wasn't used to the attention she had struggled with her weight her
entire life reaching almost 450 pounds after the birth of her daughter as a result she spent most of her
married life indoors fearful of the Judgment of strangers but at Alpine manner Kathy was showered
with compliments she began taking double shifts just to spend more time with her colleagues
over the following months Kathy's husband can watched as she changed before his eyes
most of Kathy's days off were spent socializing with alpine Manor staff she never used to drink alcohol but
returned home from these get-togethers drunk and high on cannabis the once dedicated stay-at-home wife and
mother now had a little interest in spending time with her daughter and fought with Ken often
when they weren't fighting Kathy told Ken or the worker gossip love triangles among the nursing aides
were common as were drunken threesomes and to altercations between love rivals fighting among staff members often
occurred at work while residents listened on unable to extricate themselves from the toxic environment
as Kathy pumped Ken full of Staff Secrets he often thought to himself what the hell is going on at Alpine
Manor in September 1986 less than six months after Kathy Woods started working at
Alpine Manor she told Ken that she had fallen in love with someone else an 18 year old fellow nursing aide named Dawn
after seven years of marriage Kathy wanted a divorce Ken believed she was going through a
phase and would return to him in the meantime he took their daughter to live in a hotel while Kathy remained
in their family home without Ken at home Kathy needed help paying the bills a staff member introduced her to a new
nurse's aide at Alpine Manor 22 year old Gwendolyn Graham who went by the name Gwen
Gwen had no previous experience in nursing but had taken on the role as a stepping stone to become a paramedic
Alpine Mana was chronically understaffed so like Kathy Gwen had been hired on the
spot Kathy and Gwen hit it off immediately having recently broken up with her girlfriend Gwen was looking for a place
to stay and it jumped at the chance to move in with Kathy within a week of Gwen moving in Kathy
had broken up with Dawn and she and Gwen began dating Alpine Manor's nursing staff were amused
at the couple's appearance Gwen was athletically built weighing 140 pounds and was five foot two with
freckles sent to Ginger mallard Kathy was six foot tall with a large frame blue eyes and bleached blonde hair
the staff joked that the pair completed each other Kathy provided the brains in the relationship while Gwen provided the
brawn Kathy and Gwen bonded over their troubled upbringings Kathy's father had been a strict
disciplinarian often resorting to physical violence her mother took a back seat and left the
care of her other children to Kathy who was responsible for making sure they were looked after
Gwen had been the victim of child sexual abuse at the hands of her own father she self-harmed in her teens describing
it as a way of freeing herself from the pain of her childhood both Kathy and Gwen knew they were
carrying a lot of emotional baggage there was also something else they harbored hatred for their elderly parents
death said Alpine Manor were common on average five to ten residents passed each month from conditions relating to
old age flu season saw the death toll climb even higher it wasn't long after Gwen Graham started
that she witnessed her first death an elderly woman named Helen who died from pneumonia
Gwen appeared devastated at the loss but after Helen had been transported to the
funeral home the tears stopped Gwen told her colleagues I couldn't stand Helen I couldn't stand
that woman all she did was whine all the time about a month after Gwen started working
at Alpine Manor another new nursing aide was on the night shift when a resident pressed the call button next to their
bed the room was occupied by two residents so the nursing Aid entered quietly and
in the dark as she approached the bedside the aide could see that the resident was sound
asleep as she searched for the call button to see how it had been pressed on its own
the aid felt a tight grip around her ankle she fled the room screaming waking Alpine Manor's residence
moments later Gwen Graham emerged from underneath the residence bed laughing hysterically while other aides comforted
the frightened residents Gwen played practical jokes on her fellow staff almost every night at the
expense of the residence of Alpine Manor when coming on shift Gwen would turn their beds around so the bottom of the
bed was where the headboard should have been when this got old she moved to Residence
into different rooms to surprise and confuse nursing AIDS Gwen pulled all the wire screens from
the windows that backed onto the courtyard so she could make a hasty Retreat if the charge nurse was coming
she also hid in the courtyard at night to bang on the windows and to scare staff
it also terrified the residents nighthouse supervisor Tish Prescott was sick of the shenanigans
she knew a lot of the trouble stamped from Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham they used the PA system to gossip about
other staff and had residents with speech impediments read announcements just to laugh at them
tirish had tried to separate the women but they swapped shifts with other AIDS so they could remain working together
had resorted to sneaking up on the pair to keep her eye on them she often found them alone in Residence rooms
tiesh had also heard reports of nursing AIDS sneaking off to spend time together
in unoccupied beds rumors circulated that Gwen Graham had sex with an orderly in one of the
residents rooms Tisch took her concerns about Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham to the director of
nursing saying those two are just no good for each other she pleaded for something to be done
explaining that Resident care was suffering as a result upper management declared that they
weren't in a position to step in whatever the staff chose to do on their breaks was out of their control
[Music] one night Gwen Graham came to work so drunk that she couldn't walk in a straight line
Tish Prescott sent her home and reported Gwen to management expecting she would be fired
however Gwen was back on shift the following night [Music] [Laughter] at 4 30 one morning in December 1986
Nancy Hahn was woken by her telephone ringing the caller identified herself as a nurse
from Alpine Manor she explained that Nancy's mother Bell burkhard a resident of the facility had
declined quickly in health Bell wasn't expected to make it through the day Nancy lived three hours drive away from
Alpine Manor she couldn't afford to miss work that day so after a long anxious shift she raced to her railing mother
she hoped and prayed that she'd still be alive to say her goodbyes Nancy arrived at Alpine Manor and rushed
to Belle's room her bed was empty Nancy inquired at the nursing station none of the nurses knew where bell
burkhard was they appeared bemused when Nancy told them she had received a phone call in
the early hours from a nurse telling her that her mother was about to pass away Belle burkhard was discovered sitting at
a dining room table alive and like her normal self Nancy fed her dinner and then stopped to
talk to the charge nurse who checked the record nobody had logged a call to Nancy
furthermore there were no staff notes indicating concerns for her mother's health
it became clear that Nancy had been the victim of a cruel hoax Corps from the night shift
the charge nurse checked who had been working that shift one name stood out Kathy Wood
at the end of 1986 an anonymous complaint was made to the Michigan Health Department regarding the level of
care at Alpine Manor there were reports of residents sitting in soiled incontinence aids for hours
and only being bathed once a week staffed turnover was cited as the main reason for the lack of care
112 nurses aides had been hired during that year by October 71 had left to quell public concern Alpine Manor was
subject to an unannounced visit from a health inspector a lot had changed in recent years one
staff member described Alpine Manor as having an eerie atmosphere residents were treated like children
staff spoke to them in childlike voices and styled the female resident's long hair into pigtails
the craft room now only contained children's coloring books and a few crayons cartoon pictures and drawings were taped
to the walls residents reliant on wheelchairs were pushed together with nothing to keep
them occupied meanwhile a local radio station blasted over the PA system to drown out the
screams from residents with dementia following the visit from the health inspector a report was issued
it found that Alpine Manor was safely practicing within State guidelines no further follow-up was needed
despite the ongoing issues caused during their employment both Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham continued to receive praise
from upper management they regarded the women as extremely hard workers both often pulled double shifts to make
up for understaffing on a competency test issued by the State Health Department Gwen scored a 97 mark
on her test shade The Examiner wrote the word great on every page and to Drew a big smiley face
they were particularly impressed with Gwen's use of washcloths on her exam paper Gwen wrote that she
rolled them up into log shapes and put them in the palms of residents clenched hands to stop their fingernails from
digging into their skin she always carried washcloths with her and could be seen with at least one
flapping from the back pocket of her pants at all times Kathy and Gwen had a tired Friendship
Circle of fellow nursing aides but there were a few staff members who saw through
their charade they regarded Kathy and Gwen as bullies and Liars who ruled through intimidation
Kathy once complained about a fellow Aid she didn't like to a superior saying that the aid wasn't changing
incontinence AIDS overnight the charge nurse accompanied Kathy and found a resident lying in a puddle of
urine later it transpired that Kathy had asked Gwen to pour cups of water over the
resident's legs to make them soaking wet [Music] as detailed in the book forever and five
days by Lowell Caufield Gwen later said everybody was scared of Kathy Kathy would [ __ ] with you that was just her
thing and everybody knew it it kinda made me feel good because she was my girl and as long as she was my
girl nobody was going to [ __ ] with me one morning a nursing aide was working with Kathy to dress a particularly
difficult resident all day he screamed and yelled yet whenever he saw Kathy Wood he quietened
straight away nurses had previously joked about Kathy's ability to silence the man
on this occasion the nursing aide asked Kathy how she managed to quiet him just watch Kathy said
she proceeded to whisper something into the man's ear within seconds he became fearful and
silent the aid asked Kathy what she had said with a smile she replied I said go ahead Scream one more time
but look at me I'm bigger than you I'm huge in fact you are helpless I am not you scream one more time and I will kill
you and there will be nothing you can do to stop me the aid considered reporting Kathy
Wood's remark to management but she was too frightened of the Fallout from Kathy
and Gwen and chose to keep it to herself nights later a nursing aide named La Donna was working the night shift when
she answered the call button of 87 year old Clara Pierce Clara had been at Alpine Manor for six
years and suffered from dementia she was still quite lucid and could hold conversations with the staff
as soon as Ladonna entered her room Clara screamed they're gonna kill me they whispered to me that they are going
to kill me Clara had recently been found wandering the Halls at night so the doctor had
ordered that her wrists be tied to the bed while she was sleeping Ladonna released Clara and escorted her
to the bathroom and back to bed as Ladonna reapplied Clara's restraints she begged not to be tied up yelling
you don't understand they're coming to kill me Ladonna reassured Clara that no one was
coming to kill her Ladonna turned off the light and left Clara alone strapped to her bed
[Music] on Christmas Day 1986 Ed Chambers drove to Alpine Manor to visit his wife
Marguerite he was joined by his daughter Jen who had some warm clothing to give her
ailing mother Margaret's room in Alpine Manor always seemed to be cold and Marguerite often
kicked off her bed sheets with her rocking movements upon arriving at Alpine Manor Jan
noticed the dried food caked around her mother's mouth indicating that she hadn't been cleaned since her last meal
Jan found a washcloth and to dampened it when she went to wipe her mother's face
with it Margaret jumped she turned her head from side to side refusing to have her mouth cleaned
Margarita's Alzheimer's prevented her from speaking so Jan couldn't ask her what was wrong
but when she looked into her mother's eyes she saw something she would never forget
absolute Terror during the week prior Marguerite Chambers had been looked after by two
nurses more than any others Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham post-christmas Marguerite was not
herself she was feverish and appeared to have gone downhill physically nobody could pinpoint why
[Music] a little under a month later on Sunday January 18 1987 Etta Chambers returned to Alpine Manor
Margaret made rocking movements in bed as Ed held her hand and talked to her for an hour
at 8pm he said good night and left 30 minutes later a nursing aide found Marguerite Chambers unresponsive in bed
efforts to revive her failed and Marguerite was pronounced to Dad she was 60 years old
one by one nursing staff went into Marguerite's room to pay their respects among them were Kathy Wood and Gwen
Graham as per protocol following a death at Alpine Manor the charge nurse phoned the
facility's on-call doctor it was a Sunday night and he didn't want to drive through the heavy snow to
examine Margaret's body in person instead he ordered her to be transferred to the mortuary over the phone
the following day the doctor signed Marguerite's death certificate without having seen her body
under the cause of death he wrote heart attack three weeks later on the morning of
Tuesday February 3 a registered nurse began her shift at Alpine Manor she soon noticed that a 95 year old
resident named Myrtle loose had blood dripping from her nose the nurse applied a compress and made a
note of the incident but didn't think any more about it a series of strokes and organic brain
syndrome had robbed the murder of her normal functions although she was somewhat aware of what
was going on around her she could no longer walk or talk murders spent the majority of her time
curled up in bed in the fetal position the only time Myrtle seemed to know what was going on around her was when her son
came to visit when she saw him murder all changed instantly she smiled and patted his face
because of her High care needs Kathy Wood openly complained to her colleagues that she didn't like Myrtle loose
she found her too difficult to take care of a week after Myrtle was treated for her
unexplained bloody nose a nurse aide found her deceased in bed this time her nose was covered in mucus
and looked bruised on the mattress beside Myrtle's body was a rolled up washcloth
Myrtle's body was sent directly to the mortuary by the Alpine Manor doctor without examination as in the case of
Margaret Chambers and like that incident the doctor listed Myrtle's cause of death as heart attack
Moto's loved ones were surprised by the news of her sudden death she had undergone a physical exam just
the days earlier during which the doctor had described her heart health as impeccable
following Myrtle's funeral her family panned a card to the Alpine Manor staff to thank them for the care and
compassion they had shown Myrtle while she was alive it was pinned to the staff bulletin
board Days Later Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham invited Kathy's ex-girlfriend Dawn over
to their place as they sat in the living room drinking Gwen casually mentioned that she had
been responsible for murder's death Gwen asked the dawn if she wanted to say proof
Dawn followed Gwen and Kathy into the bedroom on a shelf lay a single sock this belonged to her Gwen said
Dawn was well aware of the Twisted pranks and Mind Games the couple often played
she passed off the comment as a sick joke Kathy was known to steal from the residents of Alpine Manor once taking a
residence rosary beads to hang from the rearview mirror of her truck the more Dawn thought about it the more
she believed that the pair had just stolen a sock or that it belonged to Kathy Dawn told herself
Gwen's just [ __ ] with me on the morning of Monday February 16 1987 an Alpine Manor nursing Aid named
Sean peered into the room of 79 year old resident May Mason May who had Alzheimer's disease was
awake she fidgeted with her hands in bed and seemed agitated Sean took a damp washcloth to freshen
May wiping it over her face and hands but this only heightened Mae's distress she kept clutching at the washcloth not
wanting it to touch her skin Sean tried to calm Mei but had to check on other residents
she rolled me from her side onto her back and tucked her in pulling the covers to her neck
when she left May was wide awake two hours later Sean checked on me again her skin had turned gray and her
fingernails were now blue her pulse was imperceptible and she was pronounced deceased at 4am
Sean was devastated and sought support from her colleagues fellow a de Gwen Graham did her best to
comfort her May Mason's cause of death was listed as Cardiac Arrest by her family physician
her death came six days after Myrtle loose the next day 74 year old Alpine Manor
resident Belle burkhard was found to have bruising to her face particularly around her nose and right cheek
the injuries were reported to management as Belle often suffered from seizures they put the injuries down to an
unwitnessed seizure during the night it was assumed she must have hit her head on the bed's metal railings
the nurse assigned to Belle that night was Kathy Wood she was never questioned about it and it
wasn't investigated further Kathy often complained to other staff about Bill burkhard's High care needs
she didn't like Belle the feeling was Mutual Bell made it difficult for Kathy to turn
her often gripping onto bed bars whenever Kathy tried to verbally intimidate her Belle would just laugh in
her face at 3am on Thursday February 26 Kathy volunteered to supervise the nurses
station while the other staff went on break bill burkhard was found deceased a few
hours later the nursing aide who found her noticed that Belle's arm was positioned at an
odd angle underneath her body when Belle's body was bathed for the funeral home the aide noticed that the
same arm was badly bruised nobody knew why of Kathy Wood's nursing friends suggested that the bruising might have
been caused from the nursing Aid not turning Bell during the night the matter was dismissed
Bell was released to the mortuary without a doctor viewing her body the cause of death was listed as a heart
attack like Myrtle Luce's family Bill burkards couldn't believe what had happened
[Music] during a checkup a week prior the doctor had mentioned her heart was fine
[Music] as the number of sudden deaths in Alpine Manor grew Kathy Wood Gwen Graham and
their alpine Manor cohorts became increasingly out of control the couple would host wild parties at
their home on their days off during which staff in attendance would run down the street topless
for no discernible reason the disorderly group would get into physical fights with each other at pubs and clubs
resulting in serious injuries nursing Aid Ladonna had two of her teeth knocked out during one inexplicable
altercation in the book forever and five days Ladonna said we had all gone crazy we didn't care for
each other's feelings we didn't have any feelings one day in April 1987 a nursing aide
named Catherine snuck through the back door of Alpine Manor and into the director of nursing's office
with a black eye her arm in a sling and a cracked rib Catherine didn't want to be seen by her colleagues so she asked
for time off initially brushing off her injuries as the result of an accident the truth was
soon uncovered Kathy Wood had allured Catherine to a deserted area on the outskirts of Grand
Rapids with the pretense of hooking up other nursing aides were also there watching an amusement as Gwen Graham
confronted Catherine she knocked her to the ground then punched and kicked her repeatedly in the
chest and stomach Gwen was called into the office and asked if this story was true
smiling Gwen explained I wouldn't do something like that she left the office and faced no
repercussions the incident had staff terrified of Kathy and Gwen with many refusing to
work with them reports continued to flood management about the pair's toxic Behavior
yet when given a report about Kathy's bullying the Alpine Manor manager ripped it up and threw it in the bin
she was friends with Kathy and didn't want her to get into trouble instead the manager decided to separate
Kathy from the aides that were making the allegations against her Kathy was called into the manager's
office and was given the good news she had been promoted [Music] she was now in charge of nursing Aids on
her shift [Music] many of Kathy Wood's work friends were thrilled with her promotion
but there was one who wasn't Gwen Graham she believed she worked harder than Kathy and she should have been the one
promoted it made things difficult at home Kathy and Gwen argued often with the fights often culminating in violence
the walls of their house were damaged with holes as a result of punches thrown in fits of anger
when Kathy learned Gwen had sex with another nursing aide she became Furious yelling so loudly that her screams were
heard from down the street when Gwen tried to leave the house Kathy dragged her back in by her hair and
slapped her repeatedly she was often seen at work covered in scratches and bruises
by mid-1987 Gwen had had enough she moved out of Kathy's home and into a trailer
joining Gwen was her new girlfriend a 21 year old nursing aide from Alpine Manor
named Heather baraja Heather who had never been in a relationship before told Gwen she was
madly in love with her together they hatched a plan they would leave Grand Rapids and return
to Gwen's Hometown in Texas to start over Kathy found out and visited Gwen demanding she returned home
after an argument Gwen agreed Kathy took her to the bedroom where they had sex as detailed in forever and five days as
Gwen lay on the bed Kathy retrieved some restraints she had taken from Alpine Manor
she tied Gwen's wrists to the bed then she walked to the foot of the bed in her hands was a loaded gun that
belonged to Gwen Kathy inserted The Gun Barrel into Gwen's body threatening I'll kill you
Kathy left Gwen tied up for three hours when she returned Kathy removed the gun and untied her
[Music] after a discussion Kathy agreed it was over between them Gwen returned to her girlfriend Heather
she asked why Gwen dropped everything to please Kathy Gwen responded Kathy has something over me
Gwen and Heather decided now was the time to act in August 1987 they packed their
belongings into Gwen's car and fled for Texas [Music] with nowhere else to turn Kathy Wood
returned to her ex-husband Ken she told him she and Gwen had done things she was afraid of
she wanted to tell Ken but he had to promise her first that he would keep it secret
he gave her his word after a moment's silence Kathy said to him what's the worst thing you could think
of to do to someone Ken replied murder would be the worst thinking there was no way Kathy would
murder someone he was completely taken aback when she replied well try six times
Kathy told Ken about one of the residents they had killed 97 year old Edith cook
Edith was one of the most popular residents among staff and other residents at Alpine Manor
she had been there for six years once telling a social worker that Alpine Manor is Grand everything is all very
lovely she spent her days visiting and chatting to other residents but in the months
before her death Edith's Health had deteriorated rapidly one night she was found with her legs
poking through the metal bars on her bed pressure sores developed which turned into painful gangrene
Edith's condition was deemed to be palliative meaning that she would not survive
at 2 30 on the morning of Thursday April 7 1987 Edith cook was found deceased in
her bed the Night Nurse assigned to her care was Kathy Wood also working on the wing that night was
Gwen Graham in an effort to understand what his ex-wife had just confessed Ken asked if
Kathy and Gwen killed people to enter their pain and suffering Kathy replied no we did it for fun
[Music] Kathy went on to detail her experiences the idea to murder residents at Alpine
Manor arose one day has she and Gwen sat at their dining table doing the morning
crossword puzzle work had been getting boring and the pair had always wondered what it would
be like to kill they chose 60 year old Marguerite Chambers to be their first victim
on the night of Sunday January 18 1987 after Marguerite's husband left for the night Kathy said she and Gwen approached
her room keeping watch by the door Kathy made sure the coast was clear as Gwen slipped
inside she held two washcloths rolled into log shapes Kathy claimed that Gwen took one
washcloth and positioned it under Marguerite's chin to support her jaw she placed the other washcloth over
Marguerite's nose then she squeezed hard Marguerite thrashed in bed trying to free herself but Gwen easily overpowered
the ailing woman Margaret then went limp Gwen slipped out without drawing attention from anyone else and walked
back to her assigned wing both she and Kathy were tending to other residents when Marguerite was found
deceased less than 30 minutes later this was not the first time Kathy and Gwen had tried to kill Margaret
they had attempted the same method a month prior Kathy explained that it had all gone to
plan they waited for the nursing Aid assigned to Marguerite care to find her dad
but Gwen had only rendered Marguerite unconscious from this failed experience Gwen learned
she needed to suffocate her victim for a few minutes after they stopped moving this attempted murder explained why
Margaret Chambers had been so terrified of having her face cleaned with a washcloth
Kathy gave a strange explanation as to why they targeted Marguerite Chambers first
at Alpine Manor there was a log book every time a resident passed away their name was entered into the book with one
entry per line Marguerite started with the letter m if they could find another five
residents to kill with the initials they were looking for then running down the page they could spell out the word
murder but their plan was too hard the residence they needed to make the murder acronym were active and to lucid
instead the couple chose victims who were non-verbal or suffering Advanced dementia
that way if they survived the Suffocation they would not be able to tell anyone even if they did no one would believe
them Kathy and Gwen pinched her residents noses while they lay in bed to see how
they would react to having their Air Supply cut off suddenly if one put up too much of a fight the
pair moved on to someone else this was why some residents were found with unexplained bruising or bloody
noses when it was time to carry out the killings Gwen used washcloths to prevent
any bruising that could raise suspicion [Music] according to Kathy Gwen said she felt
more relaxed after killing someone saying it helped to wheeze her attention Kathy and Gwen believed that sharing the
secret of the murders would bind them together forever [Music] Ken struggled with what to do with the
information Kathy had given him he wanted to believe it was a fabricated story but he didn't want to dismiss it
entirely over a year passed as Ken agonized over what to do during this time he kept Kathy's
confession to himself as she continued to work at Alpine Manor on Thursday October 6 1988 Ken was
driving past the police station when he made a last minute decision he went inside to report Kathy's
allegations when asked why he had waited so long to come forward Ken explained I didn't want to destroy my life and I
didn't want to destroy her life by turning her in but I felt I should find out if Kathy was dangerous
I know she can hate with the best of them the following day Kathy Wood was at work
when a detective arrived at Alpine Manor he found Kathy wandering the hall and told her he was taking her in for
questioning Kathy didn't act surprised or ask why she grabbed her coat and accompanied the
detective in silence Kathy agreed to be interviewed when told that her ex-husband had
implicated her into Gwen Graham in the murder of an Alpine Manor resident Kathy threw her head back and laughed
the detective told her he didn't think it was very funny prompting Kathy to sober up
Kathy was an open book to Detectives although she'd told Ken there were six victims she told police of five Margaret
Chambers May Mason Bell burkhard Edith Cork and Myrtle loose there might have been another three that
Gwen killed but Kathy maintained that she couldn't remember the details or wasn't at work when they were killed
she described planning the crime spray as quote almost exciting in a way Kathy recalled the night Gwen murdered a
79 year old May Mason Gwen approached Kathy and told her she was going to do May
Kathy warned her it was not the right time there were two nurses nearby and Kathy was assigned to a different wing
but they came up with a plan Kathy distracted the nurses with gossip while Gwen slipped into May's bedroom
they were very nearly discovered when Gwen killed Belle burkhard that morning Kathy had volunteered to
supervise the nurses station while the other staff went on a break as she sat alone Gwen approached from
the wing she was assigned to in her back pocket were two washcloths Kathy described how Gwen went into Bell
burkhardt's room while Kathy kept an eye out front from the nurses station an intercom ran from Belle's room to the
station Kathy could hear a rustle of sheets and then groaning noises for a few minutes gurgling noises
sounded over the intercom and then stopped moments later Gwen appeared from the room
Belle was discovered deceased by a nursing aide a few hours later with her arm positioned at an odd angle
underneath her body and severe bruising to the skin according to Kathy Gwen said that Bell
had put up a tremendous fight the bruising on her arm had been caused by Gwen kneeling on it to keep her still
during her police interview Kathy was asked what would motivate Gwen to murder she replied
Gwen liked pain and painful things she had a lot of pain in her life I don't know if she wanted other people
to feel the same Kathy said her role in The Murders ended because she grew tired of it and didn't
want to be a lookout anymore she never told Gwen to stop because she wanted her to be happy
still no further killings took place the women had originally planned to take it in turns to kill but Kathy said she
could never bring herself to be the murderer she explained those people in there were like family
to me and I couldn't do that to them Kathy asserted that Gwen had kept a Memento of every victim
from Myrtle loose she took a sock from Belle burkhard she took a jury from Edith Cork and earring and from May
Mason a key ring trinket from Margaret Chambers she took a balloon given to her with a bunch of
flowers from her children Gwen kept them in a shoebox in the bathroom but there was a problem
Kathy explained that when Gwen moved out she had thrown the Box away police raided the Alpine Mana files
pertaining to resident deaths at the time Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham worked together
upper management showed little concern about the murder investigation Alpine Manor had just received a glowing
review from the government body that certified the nursing home for Medicaid during their search detectives uncovered
a letter Kathy had written it read in part I love you Gwen I think you're great for
this afternoon I cannot wait that's when we'll wake up and that's when I'll kiss you that's when I'll hold
you oh Gwen I miss you bunny hop over here and to let me lick you on the year oh please say you'll be mine
forever and five days detectives asked Kathy what the last line of her poem meant
she explained that it was their Take On The Shakespearean line forever and a day
every time they killed a resident Kathy and Gwen added an extra day to the saying
[Music] six days after Kathy's ex-husband first approached police officers arrived at
gwang Graham's trailer in Texas where she'd started a new life with girlfriend Heather
with no concrete evidence of murder having been uncovered yet police arrested Gwen for writing bad checks
three years earlier they hoped that she might open up while sitting in the county jail
instead Gwen protested her innocence she was so certain that she had nothing to do with the deaths at Alpine manner
that she offered to take a polygraph test the operator told the lead detective on
the case that in his mind Gwen was a cold-blooded killer but the results of the test were
inconclusive Gwen Graham was free to go she went back to her new job as a nursing aide for a
Texas hospital Kathy Wood also took a polygraph test as one of her first Baseline questions
Kathy was asked what the best thing that ever happened to her was she replied that it was her daughter
then she changed her mind and said Gwen as for the worst thing Kathy immediately
said that it was when Gwen left her she was then asked are you lying about Gwen to get her in
trouble after two hours the polygraph examiner was left with little doubt that Kathy
was trying to manipulate the test she was quote playing a subtle intelligent game
he believed that Gwen Graham hadn't killed anyone it was all a ploy Mastered by Kathy the
ultimate revenge for Gwen leaving her in a follow-up polygraph test Kathy was asked why someone would make up a story
like this she replied they'd have to be awfully unhappy awfully lonely maybe they even want to go to prison
like I do because then they won't have to worry about anything [Music] as the Alpine Mana murders investigation
reached its sixth week an excavator was brought to the Rosedale Memorial Cemetery
the decision had been made to excavate the remains of Marguerite Chambers and Edith cork
every other victim listed by Kathy Wood had been cremated Marguerite's husband Ed had given the
go-ahead he was haunted by the realization that she might have been murdered telling the
Associated Press I went through Marguerite's death once I don't want to go through it twice
since news of the alleged murder he had suffered nightmares every night about being suffocated in his sleep
water had leaked inside Marguerite's coffin making an examination of her body difficult due to decomposition
both marguerites and Edith's mouths were checked with the medical examiner hoping
to find fibers of washcloths to support Kathy's murder Theory he also checked the skin on their faces
for abrasions and checked their eyelids looking for pembroke-sized bruises that can indicate suffocation
no fibers or signs of Suffocation were found Kathy claimed that when Guang killed
Edith cook she said she had made a mistake by suffocating her with her false teeth still in
if true the examination would show abrasions to Edith's mouth indicating that she had bitten down while being
suffocated they weren't there Marguerite and Edith's cause of death were listed as heart attacks
when the pathologist examined their hearts he was certain of one thing their hearts were in good condition and
they had not died from a heart attack based on these findings and the circumstantial evidence provided by
Kathy Wood the medical examiner changed their cause of death from heart attack to homicide
[Music] on Sunday December 4 1988 detectives surrounded Gwen Graham's home in Texas
with an arrest warrant in hand the lights were on inside but knocks to the front door went unanswered
the trailer park manager revealed that Gwen and her girlfriend had fled weeks ago
he had no idea where they went detectives returned to their vehicles and as they pulled up to an intersection
a Mustang drove by behind the wheel was gwang Graham she was swiftly arrested without
incident and held on a million-dollar Bond Kathy Wood was arrested a few hours later
Al Van Dyke was sitting at home when he received a telephone call on behalf of Alpine Manor
reading from a pre-written statement the caller explained that the purpose of his
call was to notify Al that his mother Ruth Van Dyke was a possible victim in a series of alleged homicides that
happened at the nursing home Elle couldn't believe it he was a former homicide detective himself
another Corps went to Donald obansky the nephew and the legal guardian of 90 year
old Wanda having been told that Wonder had died from pneumonia Donald said the realization that his aunt could have
been murdered hit him like a bolt of lightning he thought back to her last months in
Alpine Manor and something began to make sense staff were regularly contacting him to
advise that Wanda had sustained bruising abrasion Center lacerations he had always wondered why
Wonder couldn't move the representative from Alpine Manor made another five calls that day
in total Kathy had named eight residents in her interviews with detectives that she believed had been murdered
however Bill burkhard's daughter Nancy Hahn found out from a journalist who called at her home
when she rang Alpine Mana the following morning to find out why she hadn't been notified the manager replied
I'm sorry it was an oversight in January 1988 the Michigan Health Department conducted its own
investigation it found that Alpine Manor management had acted appropriately and had no
reason to suspect that there was any elder abuse going on at the time of the murders
news of the homicides broke nursing staff were ordered not to speak to the Press
one manager did tell reporters Kathy Woods reviews were great you couldn't ask for anyone more
professional Kathy was very popular she was a favorite [Music] prosecutors faced a problem
there was only enough evidence to charge Gwen Graham with the murders of Margaret
Chambers and Edith cork the two women whose bodies were exhumed even then the case relied heavily on
Kathy Woods testimony without her cooperation the case would fall apart because of this the prosecution offered
Kathy a plea deal in exchange for her testimony at trial if Kathy pleaded guilty to second-degree
murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder she would be given a more lenient jail sentence with the
possibility of parole Kathy agreed and with that further charges were brought against Gwen
she was now charged with conspiracy to commit murder and the first degree murder of five residents from Alpine
Manor Gwen's defense team were almost certain she would be acquitted there were no washcloth fibers or
fingerprints linking their client to the victims none of the mementos that Kathy claimed
Gwen had taken as souvenirs had been found the only link to Gwen was Kathy's word
who they said had a motive for lying they alleged that the entire story was concocted by Kathy to get back at Gwen
for leaving her it was an allegation supported by many of Gwen's friends and co-workers who
couldn't believe for a second that Gwen was guilty of murder yet Gwen and Kathy had confessed their
involvement in murdering Alpine Manor residents to at least three other nursing aides and to Kathy's sister
none of them believed they were being serious the trial began in September 1989.
in his opening statements the assistant prosecutor warned the jury that this is a bizarre case and it was
committed by bizarre people Kathy testified against the Gwen for two full days appearing tearful and softly spoken she
detailed how she stood a lookout while Gwen suffocated the victims of Alpine Manor
she appeared to the jury that she herself was a victim of Grant testifying that she was the one who had been tied
to their bed with a gun inserted in her vagina the prosecution had one Final witness to
call it was Gwen's girlfriend Heather who confirmed that she and Gwen were no longer a couple
Heather told the courtroom about the day police had first come to the trailer to
search after they visited Heather asked if she had murdered residents of Alpine Manor
Gwen replied yes not wanting to believe it Heather replied no you didn't Heather showed the jury how Gwen had
shaken her by the shoulders saying I know you don't want to believe it but I did it I did
as Heather stepped down from the witness box and was escorted away Gwen shouted I still love you Heather
the jury deliberated for six hours for the first degree murder of five victims and the charge of conspiracy to
commit murder Gwen Graham was found guilty Gwen showed no emotion as the verdicts
were read she was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole families of the victims crowded the
steps outside the courtroom they were collectively happy with the verdict although Marguerite chamber's
husband Ed told reporters he wished Michigan still had the death penalty in place
his daughter Jan said my mother can finally rest in peace the scars will always be there but it helps
knowing the truth one noticeable absence at the trial was Hazel dredge the daughter of murdered a
victim Myrtle loose Hazel had been a constant presence in Myrtle's life while she was alive
she visited Alpine Manor almost daily to make sure her mother was being cared for
but like her mother Hazel had succumbed to Alzheimer's disease at the time of the trial she was a
resident at Alpine Manor [Music] following the trial Alpine Manor released this statement to the media
which read even though we find it difficult to believe that any of this actually
happened our primary goal is to help the well-being of residents and their families
we will continue to provide quality Care in a supportive environment in our nursing home
[Music] in October 1989 Kathy Wood was sentenced her lawyer read from a statement which
said I'm sorry is not enough mere words cannot express the remorse or guilt I'll have to live with for the
rest of my life before handing down his sentence the judge remarked I'm most impressed by the fact that if
it wasn't for you coming forward I'm sure this matter never would have been cleared up if I turned you loose today
I'm convinced you wouldn't do anything like this again Kathy Wood was sentenced to 20 to 40
years in prison the good behavior she would be eligible for parole after serving only 16.
many people believe that Kathy was more involved in the murders than simply standing Lookout
nursing staff remembered her as a manipulative liar and were convinced that she pulled the wool over everyone's
eyes from detectives on the case to the trial judge as detailed in the book forever and five
days a hairdresser named Maureen Haverhill was tending to Alpine Manor resident Lucille vanderveen in late
1987. Lucille was very distressed and told the hairdresser they tried to kill me last night they
tried to smother me in my bed but I fought back I swung and I kicked and I scratched and they couldn't do it
Moraine assured of Lucille that nobody was trying to kill her but after hearing of the Alpine Manor
murders she realized that Lucille might have been telling the truth yet it couldn't have been Gwen Graham
who attacked Lucille she had left Alpine Manor five weeks earlier a former inmate of Kathy Woods said she
bragged about the murders in prison showing other inmates clippings from newspapers about the case
the inmate said that they were discussing the murders when Kathy allegedly admitted
I did the murders I really got that [ __ ] back that's what Gwen gets for breaking up with me
in September 2018 Kathy Wood came up for parole her application was challenged by family
members of the victims of Alpine Manor who filed an appeal they believed she had shown No Remorse
and like the majority of people involved in the case believed that she was more active in the murders than she admitted
they also lived in fear that Kathy would hunt them down when she was released from prison
May Mason's granddaughter who was particularly vocal in her condemnation of Kathy's parole armed herself with a
gun and top of the line Home Security despite the appeal from the victim's families and considerable public outrage
Kathy Wood was deemed as no longer a threat to society at 57 years of age after serving a
30-year sentence she was released from prison and moved to South Carolina to live with her sister
a retired detective who worked on the case believed she shouldn't have been paroled telling local news station Wood
TV I believe that Kathy Wood was The Mastermind she was the one that was pulling strings on gwang Graham
for safety reasons I wouldn't want my grandchildren or elderly residents around her
she's a serial killer and she could do it again and most of them do with Kathy Woods parole came the release
of court documents previously withheld from the public for the first time it was revealed that
at one stage Kathy and Gwen were under investigation for a total of 12 deaths at Alpine manner
however a lack of evidence prevented the cases from moving to trial over the years Kathy and Gwen earned the
moniker the lethal lovers a year after the trials Alpine Manor was sold to a hospital group who extensively
renovated and rebranded the nursing home legislation in Michigan was reviewed and
a nursing home subject to more stringent conditions in Michigan today suspected order abuse
in nursing homes must be reported to Adult Protective Services investigators nursing homes still struggle with the
same problems evident at the time of the Alpine Manor murders an aging population
requiring full-time care and understaffed Workforce and overworked and underpaid nurses are enormous
challenges faced in providing care current legislation in Michigan dictates that only one certified nursing
assistant be required for eight residents during the day at night one certified nursing assistant
can legally be assigned 15 residents to care for it will probably never be known exactly
what motivated Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham a lawyer who represented another nurse
convicted of murdering dozens of elderly patients over the span of two decades in
Kentucky and Ohio told the Detroit free press that the people that are commonly committing
these crimes are those that are rejected by Society or feel rejected the only people they can lash out at are
those less powerful than they are the people they care for [Music] Kathy Wood was sentenced her ex-husband
Ken wrote a letter to the judge in it he said Kathy is guilty of Taking Lives or at
least to not preventing Gwen from taking them but how much life did she really take
all of the victims weren't even living they enjoyed nothing experienced nothing and were going to die
this was the opinion voiced by the majority of the public at the time of the murders
the general consensus was that Kathy and Gwen didn't deserve to be sentenced too
harshly for their actions because they targeted the weak and sick it was an opinion that devastated the
victim's families Maxine loose the daughter-in-law of victim Myrtle loose said that their
targeting of the vulnerable was what made their crimes particularly abhorrent quote
when I think of Myrtle in that position and someone deliberately cutting off her
breath that's the horror of the thing when they're so helpless black children [Music]
Jan Enderman Marguerite chamber's daughter said to Wood TV that she was devastated that she never got to say
goodbye to her mother Kathy and Gwen took that away from her John engman son-in-law to victim May
Mason said May did not deserve this sort of death none of those people did they lived good lives and expected
people would take care of them until they passed from natural causes foreign [Music]
[Music]

Case 260: The Alpine Manor Murders

*** Content warning: Elder abuse *** The Director of Nursing at the Alpine Manor Nursing Home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was thrilled when Catherine Wood and Gwen Graham joined their team of nursing aides in the mid-1980s. They were hard-working, enthusiastic and well-liked.

But soon after they started, some residents of Alpine Manor began telling the staff that their lives were in peril. When those same residents began to pass away, their deaths were put down to natural causes. Was it old age that killed these residents? Or was there a more sinister explanation?

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Jessica Forsayeth Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

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RESOURCES

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Brief Summary

Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham murdered elderly residents at Alpine Manor, revealing a disturbing case of abuse in nursing homes.

Key points

Ed and Marguerite's Love Story. Ed Chambers dedicated his life to caring for his wife Marguerite, who suffered from Alzheimer's.
Kathy Wood's Transformation. Kathy Wood, once a stay-at-home mom, finds herself drawn into the nursing world and a new lifestyle.
The Cruel Hoax. Nancy Hahn receives a false call about her mother's declining health, leading to shocking revelations.
Marguerite's Mysterious Decline. Marguerite Chambers' health deteriorates under the care of Kathy Wood and Gwen Graham.
Kathy's Confession. Kathy reveals to Ken that she and Gwen killed six residents.
The First Murder. Kathy and Gwen's first victim was Marguerite Chambers, suffocated with washcloths.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

What the hell is going on at Alpine Manor?

Ken's thoughts about the chaotic environment.

7:31WatchSep 16, 2023

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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