British nurse named Lucy Letby found guilty of the murder of seven newborns

A British nurse named Lucy Letby has been pronounced guilty of the murder of seven newborns and the attempted murders of six others on Friday (August 18) at Manchester Crown Court, according to the local police department. This verdict concludes a lengthy case that has haunted England since the series of deaths in the neonatal unit, where the nurse was employed, first came to public attention nearly seven years ago.

Lucy Letby, aged 33, has been convicted of killing five baby boys and two baby girls at the Countess of Chester hospital, where she frequently worked night shifts, during the years 2015 and 2016. She has also been found guilty of assaulting six other newborns within the neonatal unit.

Throughout the trial, the jury learned that Letby had poisoned certain infant victims by administering insulin injections, while others were injected with air or force-fed milk, often experiencing multiple attacks before their deaths.

Facing a total of 22 charges, Letby was acquitted of two counts of attempted murder. The jury also remained undecided on six charges of attempted murder.

Following a 10-month trial at Manchester Crown Court, this verdict designates Letby as one of the United Kingdom’s most prolific serial child killers. Jurors reportedly deliberated for 110 hours and 26 minutes.

Several of the infants targeted were twins – in one tragic case, Letby killed both siblings. Furthermore, she attempted to end the life of a baby girl three times before ultimately succeeding on the fourth attempt.

In the process of searching her residence, authorities discovered a handwritten note bearing the message ‘I AM EVIL, I DID THIS.’

When questioned about this by defense barrister Ben Meyers KC, Letby explained, “because I felt at the time I had done something wrong and I thought I’m such an awful, evil person…that I had made mistakes and not known.”

The nurse conveyed that she believed “that somehow I had been incompetent and I had done something wrong to affect these babies. I felt I must be responsible in some way.”