Parole Hearing For ‘Angel Of Death’ Genene Jones
A parole hearing for ‘Angel of Death’ serial baby killer, Genene Jones, took place on Wednesday and a decision about her release will likely come by next week. As USA Today reports, Jones was sentenced to two concurrent prison terms in 1985 for killing a 15-month old girl and attempting to kill another child. The parole hearing has caused emotional outrage over Genene Jones’ involvement in over 40 baby deaths while working as a nurse in Texas hospitals.
Jones, now 64, has earned credit for good behavior in prison, making her scheduled release in 2017 eligible for a parole hearing a few years early. Under mandatory release laws, KENS 5 Eyewitness News explains, the Texas baby killer is protected even though her crimes are deemed violent and dangerous. As a solution for overcrowding in the 1980’s, prisons granted early parole and releases through the mandatory release laws.
The nurse took advantage of her role in a San Antonio hospital to inject her infant victims with a lethal cocktail of digoxin, heparin and succinylcholine. According to Inquisitr, Jones was not charged for the unexplained deaths at the time and was simply asked to resign. Discrepancies continued at her next nursing position in Kerrville, and soon she was charged for the death of a 15-month old girl.
The baby serial killer gave few motives or explanations for her actions at the time. “You would think maybe you’d get a tear or a smile about something,” recalls Nick Rothe, the prosecutor in the case. Per KENS 5, Jones left a devastating void in the life of new parents who unexpectedly lost their babies. “And I only have one picture of her,” said Linda Ybarbo, who lost her newborn baby. “They gave me that picture the day she passed away. As a young mother, it was your baby. She was an angel.”
Although there is no definite promise of release from the parole hearing, the idea that the Angel of Death could enter society again feels like a bad joke to some. Parole hearing or not, Genene Jones’ case has inspired true-crime fiction and non-fiction books, television and movies, including Stephen King’s loosely based main character in Misery. Andy Kahan, the City of Houstons crime-victim advocate, reported to USA Today that “She’s probably going to be the first serial killer in this country’s history to be legally released.” The possibility of Genene Jones’ freedom is unsettling to many of the affected families and professionals involved in the case’s history.
(Image courtesy of KENS 5)
