State(s) Indiana Victims Undetermined (6 known) Name Orville Majors | Span of killings 1993–1995 Date apprehended 1997 Country U.S. | |
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Similar People Kristen Gilbert, Donald Harvey, Charles Cullen, Michael Swango, Harold Shipman | ||
Criminal penalty 360 years in prison | ||
Orville Lynn Majors (born April 24, 1961) is a former licensed practical nurse, and serial killer from Clinton, Indiana who was convicted of murdering his patients. Though he was only tried for six murders, he is believed to have committed as many as 130 between 1993 and 1995, the period of time for which he was employed by the hospital where the deaths occurred, and for which he was investigated. It was reported that he murdered patients who were demanding, whiny, or disproportionately added to his work load.
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Suspicion
Suspicion first developed when a large number of deaths began occurring at Vermillion County Hospital, where Majors worked. Prior to the time when Majors began employment at the hospital, an average of around 26 patients died annually. After Majors started working at the facility, however, this rate skyrocketed to more than 100 per year, with nearly one out of every three patients admitted to the hospital dying.
Prosecution and trial
After the state of Indiana launched a criminal investigation, Majors was arrested in December 1997. A total of 79 witnesses were called to the stand at his trial. Some of the witnesses testified that he hated elderly people, and that he believed that they "should be gassed."
Television
The story of the police investigation and prosecution of Majors is featured in a segment of an episode of The New Detectives entitled "Broken Trust" (Season 9, Episode 11).
