Martha Avery

In the summer of 1974, a disturbing pattern of sudden deaths cast a pall over Petersburg General Hospital in Petersburg, Virginia. Patients in the coronary care unit, many of whom were elderly but considered to be in good, stable condition, began dying unexpectedly. Among them was Martha Jane Avery, an 84-year-old woman who passed away on June 25, 1974. Her death, initially one of many baffling losses, would become a key element in a chilling criminal investigation into a suspected "Angel of Death."

The alarming spike in mortality rates, particularly during the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. "graveyard shift," prompted an internal review by hospital administrators. In a two-week period during May and June, twelve patients had died without any clear medical reason. A cross-reference of employee schedules with the times of death revealed a common denominator: a 21-year-old nurse's aide named Lee Roy Hargrave Jr. was on duty during every incident. This discovery led supervisors to place Hargrave under covert surveillance.

Despite the increased scrutiny, the deaths continued. In the last week of June alone, five more patients whose prognoses were good died suddenly while Hargrave was working. Martha Avery was one of these patients. The string of deaths culminated on June 30 with the passing of Josephine L. Thomas, a 73-year-old retired schoolteacher who was in strong physical condition and expected to be released soon. Her inexplicable demise solidified the staff's suspicions, and Hargrave was subsequently laid off under the guise of staff cutbacks.

An official investigation was launched by the Virginia Commonwealth Attorney's office, which soon uncovered a sinister cause for the deaths. Blood and tissue samples from Josephine Thomas revealed a lethal dose of lidocaine, a heart-depressing drug she had not been prescribed. This led to the exhumation of several other patients who had died under similar circumstances, including Martha Avery. Toxicological tests confirmed that they too had been administered fatal, unprescribed doses of lidocaine.

On August 14, 1974, Lee Roy Hargrave Jr. was arrested and indicted for the murder of Josephine Thomas. He was later charged with the first-degree murders of five other patients: Martha Avery, John E. Harris, Thomas Wesley Wray, Robert Wyche, and Leonard Hudson Sr. Hargrave pleaded not guilty to all charges. During the investigation, it was revealed that Hargrave had a fascination with the occult and believed he possessed supernatural powers. He also kept a list of the patients who died in the coronary care unit.

In May 1975, Hargrave stood trial for the murder of Josephine Thomas. The prosecution presented a compelling case with testimony from 29 witnesses, including hospital staff who reported suspicious behavior and two male patients who testified that Hargrave had injected an unknown substance into their IV lines, after which they suffered sudden medical complications. The evidence showed a clear pattern of deaths coinciding with Hargrave's shifts and his access to lidocaine. After just two hours of deliberation, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison.

Immediately after the verdict, Hargrave attempted suicide in a courthouse restroom by swallowing a handful of his mother's pills but was hospitalized and recovered. Despite the multiple charges against him, he was never tried for the murders of Martha Avery or the four other patients. After serving 35 years of his sentence, Lee Roy Hargrave Jr. was granted parole under the laws in effect at the time of his conviction and was quietly released in December 2009. The case left an indelible mark on the Petersburg community and prompted broader discussions about patient safety and the potential for abuse of trust within the healthcare system.