Kristen Gilbert“The Angel of Death”

By: Emily Matia

Her Childhood

Born on November 13th, 1967 in

Massachusetts as Kristen Heather Strickland.

Her parents were married, but distant and

unaffectionate. In high school, Gilbert

physically and verbally abused her boyfriends,

and she was a notorious liar. She claimed she

was related to murderer Lizzie Borden.

Adult Life

Kristen Gilbert graduated from high school a year

and a half early with very high grades. She went

to Bridgewater State College, then transferred to

Greenfield Community College to be closer to her

boyfriend Glenn Gilbert. She graduated with a

diploma in nursing. She eloped and married Glenn

Gilbert in 1988. They had two children.

Kristen Gilbert began displaying very odd, even cruel behavior. In 1987, she began working as a home health aide where she scolded a mentally disabled child over 60% of his body with hot bath water. She

was not prosecuted for this. She also allegedly chased her husband around the house with a butcher knife after an argument, but she did not harm him. She was employed as a nurse at Leeds Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Massachusetts, where she was

given the nickname “Angel of Death” because so many people died while in her care. During an affair that Kristen was having, her

husband Glenn believed that Kristen was trying to kill him because of the funny tasting food she served him. A search of the house

supported his suspicion: they found a book titled The Handbook of Poisoning in Kristen’s cupboard. During the murder investigation, Gilbert phoned in a bomb threat to the hospital to try and put the investigation on hold. She was arrested and served 15 months for

this crime.

Adult Life

The KillingsThere were no certain motives for the killings. Gilbert was a highly skilled nurse, and a “social butterfly” at the medical center. But, she was having an affair with hospital security guard James Perrault. It is believed that Kristen would put her patients in emergency conditions, because hospital security always came rushing at an emergency, so she could show off her nursing skills and flirt with Perrault. Gilbert eventually left her husband and kids for Perrault

The Method of KillingGilbert killed her victims by injecting them with the

drug epinephrine, which caused them to have massive heart attacks and die.

The Killings

The victimsAll of Kristen Gilbert’s

victims were white male hospitalized veterans.

These men were perfect victims-they were all

vulnerable because of their physical and mental illnesses. Gilbert was

convicted of four murders. Their names were Henry Hudon (age 35), Stanley

Jag0dowski (age 66), Kenny Cutting (age 41), and

Edward Skwira (age 68).

Caught&Convicted

Three suspicious coworkers of Gilbert came forward and sparked the investigation that eventually got

Gilbert caught. Gilbert was under suspicion because there was an unusual amount of deaths and near deaths of patients that were under her care, and bottles of epinephrine were said to be missing. A test of the exhumed body of one of the victims

found that there were traces of epinephrine in the body that shouldn’t have been there; the victim was

never supposed to be given epinephrine.

Caught&Convicted

On March 14th,2001 at age 33, Kristen Gilbert was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder,

one count of second-degree murder, and two counts of attempted murder, and is suspected of 40+ other

deaths. She was sentenced to four life sentences without possibility of parole plus 20 years. She had

just barely escaped the death sentence.

Why are serial killers so difficult to spot?

Serial killers are so difficult to spot because they live behind a “mask of sanity”. Most often serial killers are charming, well dressed and successful people. They often wear disguises,

such as a counselor, police officer, or other successful figure in society. They fool people to gain their trust. They do not feel sympathy for others, however they are able to imitate the

normal behavior they have learned from other people. For example, Kristen Gilbert was an attractive, charming, and

talented young nurse. When one thinks of a serial killer, that is not the image that comes to mind.

What are the four types of serial killer crime scenes?

1. Organized Crime Scene- is a planned offense in which the victim is a targeted stranger. Most often the body is hidden or disposed of. There is very little to no evidence at the scene of the crime. Kristen Gilbert had an organized crime scene.

2. Disorganized Crime Scene- victim is selected at random. The crime scene is sloppy, evidence is left. Sudden violence on the victim.3. Mixed Crime Scene- includes characteristics from both organized and disorganized crime scenes.4. Atypical Crime Scene- cannot be classified by the remains of the victim. This crime scene usually pertains to decomposed remains.

What I learned

What surprised me the most was learning that most serial killers do not appear to be serial killers at all. They are usually very well kept, organized, intelligent people.

I was appalled that Kristen Gilbert not only killed her patients, but that her patients were brave men who had once served our country.