{
  "title": "The Ann Arbor VA Hospital Poisoning Trials",
  "dek": "When patients at a Michigan hospital began dying in 1975, nurses Filipina Narciso and Leonora Perez found themselves at the center of a high-stakes, controversial murder investigation.",
  "slug": "ann-arbor-hospital-murders-solved",
  "canonical_url": "https://crimesandmyths.com/case/ann-arbor-hospital-murders-solved",
  "published_at": "2026-11-10T09:04:04.348Z",
  "updated_date": "2026-11-10T09:04:11.538000",
  "word_count": 1021,
  "direct_answer": "In 1975, ten patients died at the Ann Arbor VA Hospital after receiving unauthorized doses of the paralytic drug Pavulon. Nurses Filipina Narciso and Leonora Perez were charged with the poisonings, but their 1977 convictions were set aside by a judge due to prosecutorial misconduct. In 1978, all charges were dismissed, and no one was held criminally responsible.",
  "key_facts": [
    {
      "label": "Location",
      "value": "Ann Arbor VA Medical Center, Michigan"
    },
    {
      "label": "Incident Year",
      "value": "1975"
    },
    {
      "label": "Primary Suspects",
      "value": "Filipina Narciso and Leonora Perez"
    },
    {
      "label": "Substance Used",
      "value": "Pancuronium bromide (Pavulon)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Final Status",
      "value": "Charges dismissed February 1, 1978"
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Were nurses ever convicted of the Ann Arbor VA hospital murders?",
      "answer": "While Filipina Narciso and Leonora Perez were initially convicted of poisoning and conspiracy in 1977, the judge set those verdicts aside, and all charges were eventually dismissed."
    },
    {
      "question": "What drug was used in the Ann Arbor VA hospital deaths?",
      "answer": "Prosecutors alleged that the nurses used pancuronium bromide, a muscle-paralyzing drug commonly known as Pavulon, to cause the patients' respiratory failure."
    },
    {
      "question": "Why were the charges against the nurses dismissed?",
      "answer": "The charges were dismissed after the presiding judge, Philip Pratt, concluded that there had been prosecutorial misconduct and that the trial was fundamentally unfair."
    }
  ],
  "structured_block": {
    "timeline": [
      {
        "date": "August 15, 1975",
        "event": "Three patients stop breathing at the Ann Arbor VA hospital."
      },
      {
        "date": "August 16, 1975",
        "event": "Bedside lineup occurs where John McCrery identifies 'PIA'."
      },
      {
        "date": "June 1976",
        "event": "Patient John McCrery dies of a heart attack."
      },
      {
        "date": "June 1977",
        "event": "12-week trial testimony concludes."
      },
      {
        "date": "February 1, 1978",
        "event": "All charges dismissed by the U.S. government."
      }
    ],
    "persons": [
      "Filipina Narciso",
      "Leonora Perez",
      "Philip Pratt",
      "John McCrery",
      "William Loesch",
      "Gary L. Calhoun",
      "Richard Neely",
      "Dana Kissner"
    ],
    "evidence_status": "Evidence was deemed legally insufficient due to prosecutorial misconduct and concerns over trial fairness.",
    "current_status": "Case closed; all charges were dismissed in 1978 after convictions were set aside.",
    "sources": [
      {
        "title": "Nurse Suspected Grudge",
        "url": "https://pulp.aadl.org/aa_news_19770613-nurse_suspected_grudge",
        "publisher": "Ann Arbor District Library",
        "tier": "secondary"
      },
      {
        "title": "Ann Arbor Hospital murders",
        "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Arbor_Hospital_murders",
        "publisher": "Wikipedia",
        "tier": "secondary"
      },
      {
        "title": "Michigan Legal Milestone: The Ann Arbor VA Hospital Case",
        "url": "https://michbar.org/programs/milestone/overturnedjury",
        "publisher": "State Bar of Michigan",
        "tier": "tertiary"
      }
    ],
    "reviewer": {
      "completeness": 95,
      "narrative_quality": 90,
      "readability": 95,
      "direct_answer_standalone": true,
      "perspective_counterpoints": true,
      "honesty_framing": true,
      "verdict": "pass",
      "reasons": "The article is well-researched, balanced, and adheres to all stylistic and accuracy guidelines."
    }
  },
  "entities": [
    {
      "name": "Filipina Narciso",
      "type": "Person",
      "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipina_Narciso",
      "description": "A nurse at the Ann Arbor VA Hospital who was accused of poisoning patients."
    },
    {
      "name": "Leonora Perez",
      "type": "Person",
      "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonora_Perez",
      "description": "A nurse at the Ann Arbor VA Hospital who was accused of poisoning patients alongside Narciso."
    },
    {
      "name": "Philip Pratt",
      "type": "Person",
      "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Pratt",
      "description": "The judge who presided over the trial and later set aside the nurses' convictions."
    },
    {
      "name": "Ann Arbor VA Medical Center",
      "type": "Place",
      "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Arbor_Veterans_Administration_Hospital",
      "description": "The site of the 1975 patient deaths in Ann Arbor, Michigan."
    }
  ],
  "place": {
    "name": "Ann Arbor VA Medical Center",
    "address": "Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA",
    "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Arbor_Veterans_Administration_Hospital"
  },
  "temporal_coverage": {
    "start": "",
    "end": ""
  },
  "claims": [
    {
      "claim_text": "Patient John McCrery wrote a note saying 'PIA' after an attack.",
      "category": "evidence",
      "agreement_status": "reported",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": true,
      "quote_text": "It was clear to me that Mr. McCrery was identifying ‘PIA’ — the person I believed to be Miss Narciso.",
      "quote_attribution": "Gary L. Calhoun"
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "On February 1, 1978, the U.S. government dismissed all charges against the nurses.",
      "category": "outcome",
      "agreement_status": "court_established",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "A key prosecution witness, Richard Neely, claimed under hypnosis that Perez ignored his cries for help.",
      "category": "evidence",
      "agreement_status": "reported",
      "confidence": 0.9,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "William Loesch, a victim, testified for the defense that he saw a man dressed in green before he was stricken.",
      "category": "evidence",
      "agreement_status": "reported",
      "confidence": 0.95,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "On August 15, 1975, three men suddenly stopped breathing within a 15-minute period in the VA hospital's ICU.",
      "category": "timeline",
      "agreement_status": "reported",
      "confidence": 0.95,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "In 1975, 10 patients died at the Ann Arbor VA hospital due to unauthorized administration of Pavulon.",
      "category": "timeline",
      "agreement_status": "reported",
      "confidence": 0.95,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Filipina Narciso and Leonora Perez were charged with murder but convicted only of poisoning and conspiracy.",
      "category": "outcome",
      "agreement_status": "court_established",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Filipina Narciso wrote in a 1975 survey that she believed patients were deliberately harmed by someone with a grudge against the VA Hospital.",
      "category": "evidence",
      "agreement_status": "reported",
      "confidence": 0.95,
      "is_quotable": true,
      "quote_text": "I think I wrote that.",
      "quote_attribution": "Filipina Narciso"
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Narciso and Perez were held in the Washtenaw County Jail after their arrests.",
      "category": "timeline",
      "agreement_status": "reported",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Narciso and Perez are accused of poisoning patients with the paralyzing drug Pavulon.",
      "category": "outcome",
      "agreement_status": "court_established",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "The guilty verdicts were set aside by a judge in 1976 due to prejudicial presentation of the prosecution's case.",
      "category": "outcome",
      "agreement_status": "court_established",
      "confidence": 0.9,
      "is_quotable": true,
      "quote_text": "miscarriage of justice",
      "quote_attribution": "Pacifico Marcos"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "url": "https://pulp.aadl.org/aa_news_19770613-nurse_suspected_grudge",
      "title": "Pulp | Arts Around Ann Arbor",
      "publisher": "Ann Arbor District Library",
      "tier": "secondary",
      "type": "news_article"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://aadl.org/aa_news_19760622-bail_excessive_nurses_claim",
      "title": "Bail Excessive, Nurses Claim",
      "publisher": "Ann Arbor District Library",
      "tier": "secondary",
      "type": "news_article"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://aadl.org/aa_news_19770624-va_case_almost_ready_for_jury",
      "title": "VA Case Almost Ready For Jury",
      "publisher": "Ann Arbor District Library",
      "tier": "secondary",
      "type": "news_article"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://michbar.org/programs/milestone/overturnedjury",
      "title": "Michigan Legal Milestones: 45. The Overturned Jury",
      "publisher": "State Bar of Michigan",
      "tier": "tertiary",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://aadl.org/aa_news_19770202-he_nodded_his_head",
      "title": "VA Case Bedside Lineup: He Nodded His Head",
      "publisher": "Ann Arbor District Library",
      "tier": "secondary",
      "type": "news_article"
    },
    {
      "url": "http://time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,919117,00.html",
      "title": "NewslettersWhy You Should Turn Your Walk Into a Color Hunt'Phony' Is Something New on TV: ReviewDaisy Edgar-Jones Anchor",
      "publisher": null,
      "tier": "tertiary",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Arbor_Hospital_murders",
      "title": "From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia",
      "publisher": null,
      "tier": "secondary",
      "type": "wiki"
    }
  ]
}