More than three years since he was fired, the murder trial of former Mount Carmel doctor William Husel began this morning with opening statements. Prosecutors say the former anesthesiologist ordered excessive doses of fentanyl that hastened the deaths of patients.
Husel was originally indicted on 25 counts of murder, but that was reduced to 14 after the prosecution dismissed 11 of the charges following a December hearing in which Husel’s attorneys honed in on the standard that prosecutors used to decide when fentanyl doses became lethal.
Prosecutor Janet Grubb on Tuesday said the state intends to call a number of medical experts who will testify that Husel’s dosing practices were quote “unwarranted and unprecedented.”
“As William Husel possessed advanced training in the use of the drugs, he employed to end the lives of his patients, the state will show that his actions were not mere accidental or medical negligence,” Grubb said. “They were in fact murder.”
Lead defense attorney Jose Baez argued Tuesday that his client was exercising compassion for his patients and trying to free them from pain.
"These patients had just moments left in their lives,” said Baez. “He assisted them living well."
Baez also claimed Mount Carmel made Husel a scapegoat to protect its federal funding.
Husel had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
