Clarksburg VA employee faces 7 murder counts

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – Federal officials have unsealed an information that accuses a former employee of the veterans hospital in Clarksburg of giving patients fatal doses of insulin.

The document was unsealed this morning. A hearing will be at 2 p.m. in federal court in Clarksburg for the Northern District of West Virginia.

The former employee who has been accused of the crimes is Reta Mays. She is being charged with 7 counts of murder and 1 count of assault with intent to murder.

U.S. Attorney for Northern West Virginia Bill Powell had earlier announced a news conference for Tuesday afternoon in Clarksburg “to announce significant developments in an ongoing federal investigation.”

That is still on, and it’s clear that the charges in the veterans hospital slayings are the focus. The news conference is set for 3 p.m. at Jackson Square Parking Pavilion in Clarksburg.

This is the first time Mays has been publicly named.

Authorities for months have described a person of interest, a former nursing assistant who had access to the rooms of the veterans who died at the Louis A. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Clarksburg.

Autopsies on exhumed bodies have pointed to insulin injections that weren’t needed. The veterans died of low blood sugar level, severe hypoglycemia, which would be caused by the insulin shots.

A January report in the Washington Post said a federal grand jury was investigating at least 11 deaths.

There have already been a number of civil lawsuits filed by families in connection with the deaths.

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito released the following statement:

“Our veterans should always feel safe and cared for at our VA hospitals. Period. The situation at the Clarksburg VA was sickening and deeply troubling. It is unacceptable in any setting. My heart breaks for the families of these veterans, and I know I speak for all West Virginians when I say that we are astounded that something like this could happen. The families of these victims deserve answers, and today’s news will help bring some closure to what has been a long and painful journey. Going forward, it is important that we make sure our veterans receive the best care possible, feel safe while receiving care at our West Virginia VA medical facilities, and tragedies like this never, ever happen again.”