The Bad Nurse (2 page)

CHAPTER 4

M
ichael Jackson's death occurred on June 25, 2009. When his doctor, Conrad Murray, was arrested in connection with Jackson's death, many of the countless news items mentioned that it was the third-known case of death being caused by a lethal dose of propofol.

The first was a homicide case in Florida, when a twenty-four-year-old Gainesville woman, Michelle Herndon, was found dead in her home in 2005. Herndon had no history of drug abuse, according to her autopsy findings; and as soon as test results were revealed and her death was ruled a homicide due to an overdose of propofol, authorities began looking for those people who were in some way connected to Michelle Herndon and who could have had access to the drug. They soon found that a male acquaintance of hers, Oliver O'Quinn, a registered nurse, not only had that access, but he also had obtained propofol and other drugs during his time working at a surgical intensive care unit (ICU).

O'Quinn was charged with Herndon's murder, and his 2008 conviction marked the first time that propofol had been acknowledged as a murder weapon.

The second documented propofol death was that of Billy Junior Shaw in 2008, and Michael Jackson's highly publicized death in 2009 became the third in which the powerful hospital sedative was found to be the cause. In Jackson's situation, it had been administered, supposedly as a sleep aid, by Conrad Murray at the Jackson estate, at the request of the pop singer. When Jackson was found unresponsive, he was rushed to the hospital, to no avail. Murray would be found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and responsible for Jackson's death. Following a sensational trial, he was sent to prison for up to four years.

On October 28, 2013, with little fanfare, Conrad Murray walked out of jail thirteen minutes after midnight, a free man. He had served a little under two years, half his sentence, and was released for good behavior. He immediately petitioned for the return of his license to practice medicine in Texas and California.

CHAPTER 5

K
arri Denise Willoughby was liked extremely well by a large number of steadfast, longtime friends and social media acquaintances. She was very active on Facebook and wrote her own blog, with long, detailed posts about her family life and activities, always with very heavy and frequent religious references. She had lots of followers, and she followed a long list of other bloggers who were, for the most part, young mothers who had a great deal in common with her.

Karri's Internet presence had ramped up considerably immediately after the deaths of Billy Shaw and her mother, almost as though she was preparing her loyal followers to throw themselves wholeheartedly behind her with their almost fanatical support if she should be accused of Shaw's murder. In everything she posted following his death, she regularly mentioned how much she missed her parents and how she was soldiering on through her grief to be strong for her children and husband.

She wrote poems to the Shaws and longed, she said, for the day she would be reunited with them in Heaven. In her post following the first Christmas after the deaths of Billy and Susie Shaw, Karri told how, as her family celebrated the birth of Jesus, it was through His grace, she said, that they had also found peace in the death of their loved ones.

Oh, how it thrills my soul to know that mom and Junior are singing in the Lord's choir now,
Karri wrote. She knew, she said, that they would not come back, even if they could, nor would she ask them to out of selfishness:
[B]ut I so look forward to that meeting day in the air!

Karri followed with a poem she called “Dear Mom and Dad in Heaven,” in which she wrote about how much she wished she could sit and talk to her parents that day and tell them how much they were loved and missed. An angel had come and had taken their hands, Karri said, and told them their place was ready in Heaven:
You had so much to live for, you had so much to do.... It still seemed impossible, that God was taking you.

Karri ended her poem by saying that though her parents had walked through Heaven's gate, they were never far apart. Each time she and her family thought of them, they were right there, deep within their hearts.

Karri then wrote that she had prayed and cried out to God more since losing her parents than in her whole life combined.

It seems like this past year has been a roller-coaster of emotions,
she wrote, adding that losing her mom and Junior still hurt her down to her soul every day. The holidays, she claimed, only made it worse.

All the estate stuff is still up in the air too,
she added, almost as an afterthought.

Karri then allowed herself a little “poor me” time, combined with a dose of bragging about her busy life. She said that while she worked a full-time job, did her full-time wife and mother duties, went to most of the ball games her husband coached, taught Awana Clubs Puggles, helped teach fifth- and sixth-grade Sunday school, helped with the church youth group, did all her holiday shopping, and hosted her husband's huge family Christmas,
I will be praying for that sweet peace that Jesus promises.
Adding that it was very sad that her kids no longer had grandparents to share in their milestones, she wrote,
I do feel blessed that mom and Junior got to spoil my kids for even just a little while.

Karri then addressed those who regularly followed her blog, saying that those who knew her were aware that her family had to “say enough goodbyes this year,” which she said had been the hardest and most eye-opening time of her life. She missed her parents so much every day, she said, adding that it was very hard to explain to her three- and four-year-old children where Mawmaw and Pawpaw were.

Their loss, Karri said, had caused her to learn that God was “the great comforter.” And because of losing her parents, she now tried to let everyone in her life know how much she loved and appreciated them:
For all you who have stood by me and supported me thus far, thank you! Your love and kindness and the grace of God has kept me from losing my sanity.

CHAPTER 6

G
radually, as time passed following Billy Shaw's death, the possibility of impending troubles began to be very skillfully inserted into Karri's writing, prepping her readers for things to come. A few months after the holidays, she wrote that she would have never thought that she would be a stay-at-home mom and homemaker:
[B]ut I think I can do it! I must say it's much harder than any paying job I've ever had!

There was no mention at that point as to why she was no longer working. Later, though, Karri went on to say that she was a little sad that she was not a nurse anymore,
but with the way this whole healthcare thing is going, it might be a good thing I'm getting out now.

Apparently, however, it had not been her idea to get out of health care:
However, I must say, it is really disheartening to know that a fifteen second mistake can erase almost ten years of excellent, untarnished nursing service.

She did not go into any detail about what the mistake was. Karri's followers, at that time, were not aware of the possibility that her employers might have learned from law enforcement that their excellent employee with the untarnished reputation was under investigation for murder, committed with drugs stolen from her workplace. Fifteen seconds spent in that manner would be quite likely to end a nursing career, no matter how exemplary.

A check with the Tennessee Board of Nursing revealed that Karri's license had been revoked at their March 2010 meeting. And in July 2010, the Alabama Board of Nursing noted in the records of that month's meeting that Karri's license had been voluntarily revoked. Neither board listed specific reasons for their actions.

 

 

A couple more months down the line, Karri wrote that she and her husband had decided to sell their house (before they lost it, she added in parentheses). The job market was not looking so good for her at that time, she said; and after Karri being out of work for several months, they felt they were going to have to make plans to move to something more affordable.

If you guys know anyone who is in the market for a house, tell them to give me a call,
Karri wrote. She went on to say that although her husband, Jason, had always been so supportive and had never said anything negative, she knew it was hurting him to think of losing the house he had grown up in.
Please pray for him,
she asked her followers.

As more time passed, the façade of innocence Karri had been so carefully cultivating began to crack. Rumors were spreading following Billy Shaw's exhumation and the subsequent murder investigation. Karri started to mention the possibility of upcoming trouble, being careful to use words and phrases that would reinforce the support of her friends. Her blog posts displayed her ability to manipulate her readers skillfully, keeping a tight grip on all those who believed in her innocence and who felt they had so much in common with her as a wife, mother, and faithful Christian.

We hear the possibility that there is some bad stuff coming down the pike, legally, for me,
she wrote, asking for prayers for her future,
and more importantly, my children's future.

She couldn't go into details, Karri wrote,
but more than anything, I just want everybody to know that whatever happens, I know the truth, I've told the truth.
She then complained that she wished that the authorities would focus on finding the truth instead of listening to lies from unreliable sources:
Definitely, definitely unhappy days for me and Jason, we are trying to keep our kids sheltered from all of this.

Karri went on to reference several Bible verses dealing with remaining steadfast during times of tribulation:
I may lose my worldly possessions, I may suffer, I may even lose my freedom, but I will never lose my faith, the Lord's love, and the love of my husband and children.

She would be as Job, she said, standing through the pain, praying for those accusing her of wrongdoing, and she would be restored, if not in this life, she said, then in the next:
No matter what happens on this earth, God will one day say to me, as he said to the woman in the Pharisee's house, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

CHAPTER 7

A
s time passed and the investigation heated up, Karri could no longer spend the majority of her blogging time pretending nothing was happening in regard to the Ider rumor mill and the fact that it was now running overtime about her possible responsibility for Billy Shaw's death. She posted an unusually long blog entry that was primarily devoted to the impending arrival of the “bad stuff” she had earlier referred to, which was now “coming down the pike” at breakneck speed.

Karri knew the matter of Billy Shaw's death was about to be presented to the grand jury and she was well aware of the overwhelming evidence of her guilt, and she seemed to believe that her army of supporters would actually be able to sway matters in her favor. She used that one last blog post as an attempt to cinch her hold on those faithful friends who believed in her with a devotion that bordered on fanaticism.

Saying that there had been so many rumors “started and spread” about her in the little town during the past few weeks, Karri admitted she couldn't “begin to address them all.” She added that she couldn't go into details, but just wanted to say they were “all lies”:
I have been accused of something I would NEVER, EVER do for many reasons.

Karri elaborated that, first and foremost, she loved the Lord, and though she was a sinner, she would not and did not break a sacred Commandment. Second, she said, she loved her family more than anything on earth and would not do anything to hurt them or put them in jeopardy.

Anyone who really knows me knows the truth by now and I do not hold a grudge against those who have spread these rumors,
she wrote. Karri added a thank-you to her pastor for his “message yesterday at church.” She then went on to say that all she asked was for people to speak to her personally before they spoke of things they “really have no idea about.” If they heard someone else speaking of things they knew nothing about, she requested that they please refer them to her.

Sorry to get into that, but I had to get that off my chest,
she wrote.

Karri also said she wanted to say thanks to her family and friends:
[They] have supported me through this mess. If it were not for you guys and the good Lord giving me strength, I think I would crumble into a million pieces.

Even through the sadness and confusion, she wrote, God had blessed her and her family far more than they deserved. She was grateful to get to spend time with her children, and to have gotten to do so much work at the church, all for Him, she said. Karri then asked for continuing prayers for her family and, strangely enough, for the church's Vacation Bible School taking place that week:
I hope that the Lord will claim some more victories in lives for HIM this week. May the Lord bless you all!

There was a great deal of response to that post from several of Karri's close friends and most loyal supporters, her legion of “true believers,” as it were. A long string of comments appeared below the post, most coming within a day.

One woman wrote that there were no thanks needed. She would stand beside Karri, she said,
a thousand times over. You are a precious person and the best of friends, and as you said, if anyone really knows you they would never even entertain the thought that these rumors could even be true.

Another friend said she admired and loved Karri so much, especially for “looking at this situation as a blessing in many ways.” That, the writer said, was something she was not sure she could do, but because of Karri's “loving heart” and “kind nature,” Karri could “see the good in this.” The writer said she had learned so much from watching Karri set a great example as a friend and as a Christian. She prayed, she said, that God would continue to pour out His grace upon Karri and her family, and that He would give Karri renewed strength for the days ahead.

I love you and your family dearly,
the writer said,
thinking and praying for you all.

A third writer said she agreed with the others, saying she never, ever believed for one minute that Karri was guilty. She was not capable of doing such a thing, the woman said. Karri was a blessing, she claimed, and “such a sweet, sweet person.” She'd included Karri in her prayers, she continued, praying for her and her family.
I cannot imagine the STRESS you've been under,
she wrote.
It's great that you can see the good in all that you went through. Love you!

I think about you and your family a lot,
another woman wrote.
You have many many people that stand behind you and stand up for you, especially in this hard time.
All those people, the writer said, knew the truth and knew Karri's heart.

It was just one of the disadvantages of living in a small town:
[E]veryone knows your business before you do,
the woman continued. One day the truth would come out, she said, and the guilty would be punished.

It may not be in this life, but God knows,
she wrote.
It is obvious that God is living in you because I don't know that I could handle it and still be as happy as you are.

These comments to Karri's post were followed by a long string of other, shorter messages from supporters, all mentioning God, blessings, prayers, and unconditional belief in Karri's strength of character, boundless faith, and shining examples of Christian virtue.

Those nasty rumors went right over my head,
said one; another said what a blessing it was to be around Karri.

As things turned out, this entry (and its responses) would be the last item that Karri posted on the blog site, except for a very short notice left a couple of weeks later that her blog was moving to another address and to please follow her there. When the faithful followed, however, there was nothing to be found at the new site, other than a title banner and a couple of photos of the children. Karri's future writings would have to be posted on her behalf by others; they would now be coming by way of the DeKalb County Jail.