A registered nurse and Derry resident will surrender her nursing license but receive no jail time, after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor offense of possessing a drug without a prescription.
Catherine George, 49, a nurse at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, went to Derry police on Oct. 14, 2012, and admitted to administering a lethal dose of insulin to her brother-in-law Randall Percival of Raymond.
George said she administered the insulin to alleviate Percival’s suffering from bile duct cancer.
She pleaded guilty June 27 in 10th Circuit Court, Derry. She received a 30-day sentence, suspended for two years on condition of good behavior.
A joint press release from Attorney General Joseph A. Foster, Derry Police Chief Edward Garone, Raymond Police Chief David Salois and State Police Colonel Robert Quinn stated that George pled guilty to unlawfully possessing the prescription drug Novolog insulin (Class A misdemeanor).
The amount of insulin George administered, 300 milliliters, is what a typical diabetic would receive over the course of several months.
The press release further stated, “By the time Ms. George made her admission to the police, Mr. Percival’s remains had been cremated. The cause of Mr. Percival’s death was listed as metastatic cholangiocarcinoma. Because there was no autopsy and no physical evidence to corroborate Ms. George’s admission, the State did not have proof beyond a reasonable doubt to prosecute a charge against Ms. George for her role in Mr. Percival’s death.”
The New Hampshire Board of Nursing suspended George’s license on Oct. 23, 2012. As part of the plea deal, George also surrendered the nursing license she had held since 1994.
Percival was an optical engineer, husband of Betti Percival, father of two sons and grandfather of one at the time of his death.
