RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) - A Long Island respiratory therapist has been convicted in the 2012 death of a 72-year-old nursing home patient.
Newsday reports (https://nwsdy.li/1J5MnTp ) a jury Wednesday found 63-year-old Kethlie Joseph guilty of criminally negligent homicide and failing to report the circumstances of Aurelia Rios’ death to state regulators. Joseph was acquitted of three other charges.
Rios had a tracheotomy and was put in a short-term rehabilitation unit to help wean her off the ventilator. Authorities say Joseph failed to attach Rios to the ventilator. Rios was found dead by a nurse’s aide checking on her about two hours later.
Prosecutors say Joseph and four others who are also on trial attempted to cover up Rios’ death by lying to investigators.
Joseph will be sentenced on Sept. 15.
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Information from: Newsday, https://www.newsday.com
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