A jury on Feb. 23 found former Michigan home health nurse Judith Sobol guilty of second-degree murder in the death of a 3-year-old patient she treated while under the influence of methamphetamine, The Herald-Palladium.
According to trial testimony cited by the news outlet, Ms. Sobol, 42, treated Ophelia Mazure — who had complex medical needs and was on a ventilator — while under the influence of meth during an overnight shift at the Mazures' home on June 20, 2022. The child's mother woke up to alarms from medical equipment and found her child with the trachea tube disconnected and Ms. Sobol incoherent. Efforts by Ophelia's parents and medical personnel to resuscitate the child were unsuccessful.
When police arrived, they found Ms. Sobol on the floor, and she later told police she was under the influence when she reported for her shift. The jury also found Ms. Sobol guilty of possession of methamphetamine.
"We're very happy with the results, but at the end of the day, there are no winners or losers. There's still a life lost" Taylor Koch, assistant prosecutor in Berrien County, told The Herald-Palladium.
Earlier in February, the Michigan Board of Nursing revoked Ms. Sobol's license. Berrien County (Mich.) Judge Angela Pasula set Ms. Sobol's hearing for April 24 and revoked the bond previously set at $500,000. Ms. Sobol faces up to life in prison.