The Dark Angel Charles Cullen
Charles Cullen is one of the most notorious serial killers in American history, known as the "Angel of Death." He was a nurse who admitted to murdering at least 40 patients over a 16-year career in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, though investigators believe the actual number may be much higher—possibly hundreds.
Early Life
Born: February 22, 1960, in West Orange, New Jersey.
He had a troubled childhood: his father died when he was young, and his mother died in a car crash when he was 17.
He attempted suicide multiple times from a young age, indicating severe mental health struggles.
Medical Career
Cullen worked at nine hospitals and one nursing home between 1987 and 2003. Despite red flags and suspicions of wrongdoing, he was repeatedly able to find new jobs due to failures in the healthcare system's reporting mechanisms.
Modus Operandi
Cullen would administer lethal doses of medications like digoxin, insulin, and epinephrine to patients—often those who were not near death.
His motive was complex. He claimed he was trying to "ease" patients' suffering, but many victims were not terminally ill.
He was also reportedly driven by a compulsion and a sense of power over life and death.
Arrest and Conviction
Cullen was arrested in December 2003 after colleagues at Somerset Medical Center grew suspicious.
In 2004, he pleaded guilty to 29 murders and 6 attempted murders.
He ultimately admitted to 40 murders, though experts believe he could be responsible for as many as 400 deaths.
He is serving multiple life sentences with no possibility of parole.
Impact and Legacy
Cullen’s case led to a major overhaul of hospital reporting systems and better background checks for healthcare workers.
His story was the basis for:
The book The Good Nurse by Charles Graeber.
The 2022 Netflix film The Good Nurse, starring Eddie Redmayne as Cullen and Jessica Chastain as Amy Loughren, the nurse who helped expose him.