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| Nurses Charged in Jailed Teen's Death |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 01/28/2004 |
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Two nurses at a Florida juvenile jail were charged with murder Tuesday, accused of failing to treat a 17-year-old inmate who died of a burst appendix after three days in pain. In a scathing attack on the juvenile justice system, a Miami-Dade County grand jury said the women skipped examinations or falsified medical records on Omar Paisley, who spent his last days "in agony lying on a concrete bed." Following a nine-month investigation, the grand jury noted in frustration that the state Department of Juvenile Justice is immune to criminal indictments. The panel called for wholesale changes at the jail to "prevent another unnecessary death." The nurses, Gaile Tucker Loperfido and Dianne Marie Demeritte, were expected to surrender Wednesday. They face up to nine years in prison on charges of third-degree murder and aggravated manslaughter of a child. It was not immediately known if they had attorneys. Although only the nurses were indicted, the panel said several people played roles in Paisley's death. Gov. Jeb Bush said he retains confidence in Department of Juvenile Justice secretary Bill Bankhead but will make sure the grand jury's recommendations "are taken into account." A call to the agency, which runs 25 juvenile jails, was not immediately returned. Loperfido and Demeritte worked for Miami Children's Hospital under a contract with the 226-bed Miami-Dade Regional Juvenile Detention Center. |
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