What did RaDonda Vaught do? Former nurse found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in 2017 death of patient

Former nurse RaDonda Vaught has been convicted of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult. The conviction is in connection with the 2017 death of 75-year-old patient Charlene Murphey.

Vaught was first arrested in 2019. She was initially charged with reckless homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult after injecting Murphey with a wrong drug that allegedly led to her death.

The reckless homicide charge was later acquitted, and a lesser criminally negligent homicide charge was placed during the trial.

The jury deliberated for nearly four hours in a trial that was closely followed by nurses and medical professionals across the country. The verdict in Vaught's case also left the nursing community worried about the criminalization of medical errors.

During the trial, the American Nurses Association issued an official statement that read:

“Transparent, just, and timely reporting mechanisms of medical errors without the fear of criminalization, preserve safe patient care environments.”

However, Assistant District Attorney Brittani Flatt stated that Vaught made a “knowing choice” despite having no intentions to take Murphey’s life:

“RaDonda Vaught probably did not intend to kill Miss Murphey, but she made a knowing choice.”

As per the Nashville district attorney's sentencing guidelines, Vaught is reportedly set to face three to six years in prison for the neglect charge. She also faces one to two years in prison for the negligent homicide charge as a defendant with no history of prior convictions.

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A look into RaDonda Vaught’s negligent homicide case

In 2017, 75-year-old Charlene Murphey was admitted to the intensive care unit of Vanderbilt University Medical Center to receive treatment for a severe brain injury. Reports suggest the patient showed signs of improvement and was scheduled to be discharged from the hospital.

Prior to her discharge, Murphey was supposed to undergo a certain physical examination. She was prescribed a sedative called Versed before being scanned for an MRI-like evaluation.

RaDonda Vaught was tasked with the responsibility of retrieving Versed from a computerized medication cabinet.

Unfortunately, Vaught withdrew a powerful paralyzer called vecuronium instead of Versed. She then administered the wrong medication on the patient.

Murphey was reportedly left brain dead by the time authorities detected the error.

NPR reported that an investigative report claimed Vaught failed to notice several warning signs before administering the wrong drug on her patient. This includes the fact that Versed is a liquid, while Vecuronium is a powder.

Vaught was arrested in 2019 and accused of being negligent on duty, leading to the loss of life.

During the trial, Assistant District Attorney Chad Jackson compared Vaught to a drunk driver who caused a fatal accident. He said Vaught was “driving with [her] eyes closed.”

Jackson stated:

“The immutable fact of this case is that Charlene Murphey is dead because RaDonda Vaught could not bother to pay attention to what she was doing.”

However, Vaught's attorney, Peter Strianse, argued that his client had committed an “honest mistake.” He added that she became a “scapegoat” for systemic issues present in medication cabinets at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2017.

Authorities from Vanderbilt countered the claim. Vanderbilt's pharmacy medication safety officer Terry Bosen testified that the hospital resolved the technical problems with medication cabinets weeks before Murphey’s accidental death.

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt neurologist Eli Zimmerman said that it was also “in the realm of possibility” that Murphey's death was caused by the impact of her own brain injury.

Davidson County Chief Medical Examiner Feng Li added that although he confirmed Murphey died from vecuronium, he failed to verify the amount of the drug she received. He noted that a small amount of the drug would not have been fatal.

Before the closing arguments on March 25, RaDonda Vaught told the Tennessean that she would never regret being truthful during the investigation, despite the verdict of the case:

“Knowing what I know now — even if the jury finds me guilty, even if Judge Smith decides that prison time is the appropriate sentencing for this and it's the maximum amount of time — I have zero regrets about telling the truth.”

Vaught also took responsibility for her actions during a separate proceeding before the Tennessee Board of Nursing in 2021. At the time, she admitted to becoming “complacent” and “distracted” while using the medication cabinet and withdrawing the wrong drug:

“I know the reason this patient is no longer here is because of me. There won't ever be a day that goes by that I don't think about what I did.”

RaDonda Vaught’s sentencing is reportedly scheduled to take place on May 13, 2022.

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Everything to know about RaDonda Vaught

RaDonda Vaught is a former licensed nurse from Tennessee (Image via Jocelyn Medina/Twitter)

RaDonda Vaught is a 38-year-old former nurse from Bethpage, Tennessee. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, she was licensed as a registered nurse in Tennessee in February 2015 and had no history of medical discipline.

Vaught started attending Western Kentucky University in 2012 and was named to the dean’s list in 2015. She was associated with the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

In addition to her nursing career, Vaught reportedly has her own company called Horny Outdoor Apparels, which sells specialized clothing and outfits for hunting. She managed the company with her husband, Ed.

RaDonda Vaught was stripped of her nursing license by the Tennessee Board of Nursing in July 2021 after being charged for her role in the death of Charlene Murphey.