COLUMBUS, Ohio — Several former ICU nurses from Mount Carmel took the stand Wednesday in the murder trial for Dr. William Husel.
Husel is accused of ordering fatal doses of fentanyl to be given to 14 patients under his care.
The defense has argued Husel was providing comfort care to dying patients during his time as the overnight physician in Mount Carmel’s Intensive Care Unit.
Three of the nurses worked at the hospital with Husel.
One of his colleagues, Kathleen McDowell, was asked about the atmosphere and comradery between some of the nurses on the floor. She called it a ‘bromance’ that Husel use to sit and chat with them.
She was also questioned about his relationships with pharmacists.
“The pharmacists would tell him to not to use a certain drug or don’t use this much and then he would tell them OK. But then he would just say ‘I’ll do what I want to do’ [or] ‘get what I want to get.”
Wesley Black testified Husel was often known as a mentor and teacher on the ICU floor.
The prosecution asked Black about Husel’s approach on dosing, he responded by saying Husel was “known for more aggressive treatment of medications.”
When questioned by the defense, Black called Husel hardworking and said he believed he was doing was to better the care of his patients.
After the jury left Wednesday, the defense argued the prosecution unfairly referred to evidence that was not supposed to be used.
You can watch Wednesday’s proceedings in the player below.