Kristen Heather Gilbert

Kristen Heather Gilbert: the angel of death
Criminology 201B
Frederic A. Agou
Neumann University

Abstract
In this Paper, I am going to be talking to you about the case where a Brilliant, skillful nurse who turns into a murder. Kristen Gilbert was a bright, attractive, well-trained nurse who, in 2001 was found guilty of killing her patients at a Veterans Administration medical center in Northampton, Mass. What made this talented young woman turn to murder? Some believe it was for the thrill, other's say it was so she could meet up with her boyfriend who also worked at the hospital.

Kristen Heather Gilbert, born Kristen Heather Strickland on November 13, 1967 in Fall River, Massachusetts. She is an American serial killer who was convicted for three first-degree murders, one second-degree murder and two attempted murders of patients admitted for care at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northampton, Massachusetts on Ward C. She was the oldest daughter of Richard and Claudia Strickland, whom lived in a well-adjusted home without any family problems that are known. Kristen graduated from Groton-Dunstable Regional High School in Groton, Massachusetts a year and half early because she was a brilliant student. In 1986, she attended at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts after graduating from high school. Bridgewater State College ordered Gilbert to receive psychiatric treatment after the discovery of her making a fake suicide attempt. Because of the problems at school, in 1987 she transferred to Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, Massachusetts and then to Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Finally she graduated from Greenfield Community College with a nursing diploma and became a registered nurse in 1988. Later that year, she got married Glenn Gilbert.
During the year of 1989, she joined the staff of the VAMC in Northampton where she begin working as a nurse in Ward C and the Boston Globe described her “highly skillful,” calm and compassionate for her exceptional nursing skills. The death of patients began in 1990 after she returned to work from have her first child. She killed her patients on Ward C by injecting them with epinephrine, which cause them to have a heart attack. Between the date of January 1, 1995 and February 19, 1996; she was present for 37 of her patient’s death. Gilbert left the hospital in 1996 due to a hospital investigation into many suspicious patient deaths that occurred during her shifts. During that fall, she checked herself into a psychiatric hospitals seven times, and she would stay for between one to 10 days each time. In January 1998, Gilbert stood trial for calling in a bomb threat to the Leeds VAMC to retaliate against co-workers and her former boyfriend James Perrault who worked at the hospital for their participation in the investigation. In March 2001, Kristen Gilbert was convicted for first-degree murder, second-degree murder, assault and she was acquitted of attempted murder. She was sentenced to life in prison. Gilbert filed an appeal but she dropped her federal appeal for a new trial due to a recent US Supreme Court ruling that would allow prosecutors to pursue the death penalty upon her retrial.
In criminology, determining why people commit crime is very important for the future because it help understand how crime should be handled and prevented. Based on learning from the theories in criminology class, I can associate the case of Kristen Gilbert with the following theories: Personality Theory, Biological Theory (Arousal Theory), and Rational Choice Theory
Personality is the unique combination of patterns that influence a person’s behavior, thought, motivation, and emotion. As they grow up, these patterns strongly influence personal expectations, self-perceptions, values, and attitudes. Several factors involve with personality theory includes Instinctual drives, aggression, Unconscious processes, and early childhood influences. During her childhood, Kristen lived in a well-adjusted home where there wasn’t any kind of behavior that could lead her to being a killer. Some of her former boyfriends described as strange and controlling. For attention, she will attempt fake suicide or sometimes when angry she will get verbally and physically abusive by scratching them or damaging their car’s window.
Criminologist Cesare Lombroso, argued that criminality was a biological trait found in some human beings; and that truly appears in the life of Kristen. Arousal theory which falls under biological theory, describe her perfectly. During the time she was attending Bridgewater State College, Kristen was smart, and very pretty but she was a chronic Liar. She told her roommates that she is a distant relative to Lizzie Borden, and also she would lie that her mother was an abusive drunk. The more people get to know Kristen, the more they seemed to edge away from the friendship. She was also sneaky and she would stealing from friends. When she was working at the VAMC, one day her patient died shortly after she asked her supervisor if she could leave early to meet her boyfriend for a date if the patient die.
In criminology, the rational choice theory adopts a utilitarian belief that man is a reasoning actor who weighs means and ends, costs and benefits, and makes a rational choice. This theory hold that people freely choose their behavior and are more often motivated by the avoidance of pain and the pursuit of pleasure. This case shows that Kristen freely acted on her own event though she knows the penalties for her action, she still committed the crime. Because of her nursing skills, she had perfect knowledge on criminal techniques for her to avoid getting arrested. Her reaction after every incident, puts her far away from being a suspect for the death of all this people. For her crime, she picked the perfect location and the right people. Most of her victims were white males whom are all vulnerable because of physical or mental illnesses. This people are brought to the medical center for help, but Kristen decided to play the role of an angel and save them from their suffering by injecting them with the drug epinephrine. She might be trying to make her job easier but her action was cruel and punishable but death. The theories helps devise policy programs for law enforcement and criminal justice agencies for the future by showing us what let the person to commit the crime. In considering program implications, it is important that by increasing the number of vulnerability of those who can’t protect themselves will decrease the suitability of targets or reduce the offender population, which can lead to a decline crime rate. A central implication of understanding offending in terms of a rational calculation means that the criminal justice system is capable of controlling crime, that aggressive law enforcement and severe punishment should deter offenders, and consequently, produce a notable reduction in criminal offending.
Reference
Montaldo, C. (2014, January 1). How a Nurse and Serial Killer Made Victims of Her Patients. Retrieved November 20, 2014, from http://crime.about.com/od/serial/p/kristengilbert.html
Starr, L. (2009). Registered nurse and serial killer. Australian Nursing Journal, 16(11), 41.
Ramsland, K. (2014, January 1). Angels of Death: The Female Nurses. Retrieved November 20, 2014, from http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/angels/female_nurses/10.html
US nurse escapes death penalty. (2001). Australian Nursing Journal, 8(10), 16.