A nurse charged in the death of a
Veterans Affairs Medical Center patient entered a not guilty plea
Friday during an arraignment in U.S. District Court. Maria K.
Whitt, 32, of Mount Sterling, KY, is charged with murder in the death of
90-year-old World War II veteran Jesse Lee Chain, who died of a
morphine overdose Sept. 3, 2006. Senior Judge Karl S. Forester set a Dec. 7 trial date. Patrick Nash, Whitt's attorney, said he anticipates calling expert
witnesses and said he might be asking that the trial date be changed. "I think this case is going to involve a lot of expert testimony," he
said. He also said he had questions about other health care workers who
had been caring for Chain at the time of his death.
On Wednesday, Whitt was suspended from her job at St. Joseph-Mount Sterling hospital, where she had worked since February. She also had previously worked at Clark Regional Medical Center in Winchester.
