US Edition3 former employees of DC psychiatric hospital charged with criminal negligence in patient’s death
Prosecutors say the three former staffers failed to give lifesaving care for at least 21 minutes before the patient died.
- U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced Wednesday that three former employees of the Psychiatric Institute of Washington were indicted on criminal negligence charges in a patient's death six years ago.
- Prosecutors allege psychiatric counselors Nelson Kuma and Richard Hounnou, along with registered nurse Norma Munoz-Bent, ignored the patient for 21 minutes and failed to call a 'Code Blue' or perform lifesaving measures.
- "He was one of those patients who was on what's called one-to-one care," Pirro said, requiring health checks every 15 minutes; video evidence allegedly captured staff failing to intervene as the man struggled to breathe.
- The three defendants pleaded not guilty at their arraignment on Tuesday and were released, following previous allegations of mistreatment including a class action lawsuit filed in Feb. 2025.
- A Superior Court judge suspended the civil wrongful death lawsuit pending this case's outcome, while officials launched a tip line for reporting neglect or abuse of vulnerable patients at institutions.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Three employees of the Psychiatric Institute of Washington have been charged with the death of a patient in 2020, a case that has reopened the debate on safety and care in the city’s psychiatric hospitals. DC’s federal prosecutor, Jeanine Pirro, described the facts as an example of “total abandonment” of a vulnerable patient, and the defendants face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. What happenedThe man, identified only by his initial G.…
Three Former Psychiatric Institute of Washington Employees Indicted in Patient’s Death
Three former employees of the Psychiatric Institute of Washington have been indicted on criminal charges related to the 2020 death of a patient at the long-troubled facility, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced Wednesday. A grand jury indictment charged 37-year-old Nelson Kuma, a former PIW tech, 45-year-old Richard Hounnou, a former PIW tech, and 68-year-old Norma
Three employees of the Washington Psychiatric Institute have been formally charged with charges related to the death of a patient, according to Columbia District Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Wednesday. At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Pirro said the three employees—Nelson Kuma, 37, Richard Hounnou, 45, and Norma Munoz-Bent, 68, all Maryland residents—are charged with a murder charge for criminal negligence and face up to 20 years in priso…
Associated Press News
3 former employees of DC psychiatric hospital charged with criminal negligence in patient's death
Three former employees of a privately operated psychiatric hospital in the nation’s capital have been charged with criminal negligence in the death of a patient.
3 former Psychiatric Institute of Washington workers indicted in patient's death
Nearly six years after a patient died inside the Psychiatric Institute of Washington, three former employees have been indicted on a charge of criminal negligence. Two of the three were working as psychiatric counselors and the other was a registered nurse when prosecutors say the three neglected to help a 58-year-old man who was clearly in distress. The three former employees, 37-year-old Nelson Kuma, 45-year-old Richard Hounnou and 68-year-old…
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