3 more 1st-degree murder charges laid against Hawkesbury doctor
An eastern Ontario doctor charged in the death of an elderly patient in Hawkesbury, Ont., last year is now facing three more counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of three other elderly patients, Ontario Provincial Police announced on Wednesday.
Dr. Brian Nadler, 36, was arrested Wednesday on the new charges, OPP said in a news release. He had been out of custody since being granted bail on the first charge in July 2021.
Nadler was originally charged with one count of first-degree murder in the death of 89-year-old Albert Poidinger of Pointe-Claire, Que. Poidinger was a patient at the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital, which is located between Ottawa and Montreal.
The three most recent alleged victims are 80-year-old Claire Briere of Rigaud, Que., 79-year-old Lorraine Lalande of Hawkesbury and 93-year-old Judith Lungulescu of East Hawkesbury Township.
All three were patients under Nadler's care, the hospital said in a statement posted on its website Wednesday.
The hospital "is fully collaborating with the OPP investigation and legal proceedings being initiated," the statement continues.
"Our immediate concern is for the families of the deceased patients and we are committed to providing them with the appropriate care and support. All services and programs remain fully operational and [the hospital] assures the local population that patient care is delivered in a safe, secure and quality-oriented hospital environment."
WATCH | Hawkesbury, Ont., doctor charged in three more patient deaths
Meanwhile, the Hawkesbury OPP investigation is ongoing, according to OPP media relations co-ordinator Erin Cranton.
In April, police said autopsies had been performed on an unspecified number of people, and that an analysis and toxicology reports could take several months to complete.
Medications used to treat COVID-19 patients at the hospital are part of the murder investigation, CBC News learned in April.
Cranton told CBC News the charges stem from the investigation started on March 25, 2021, when police were called to the hospital to investigate deaths that had occurred.
"Any investigation like this can be very difficult, we have to work through a lot of details and make sure we're thorough in collecting all information," Cranton said.
She asked anyone with information about this case to reach out to Hawkesbury police.
Suspended by professional college
As part of his 2021 bail conditions, Nadler was ordered to remain in Canada and stay at the address approved by his surety.
He was also ordered not to practise medicine or contact any staff, patients or relatives treated at the Hawkesbury hospital, according to his lawyer, Brian Greenspan.
In an email to CBC News, Greenspan's office confirmed Nadler was released on Wednesday afternoon with the same conditions.
According to a brief statement attributed to Greenspan and his partners, Nadler will be "vigorously defended" by the law firm.
"All four patients died of COVID-19 and Dr. Nadler provided excellent palliative care. When the facts are fully presented, we are confident that he will be vindicated," the statement said.
Nadler, who lives in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., was suspended by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario days after he was first charged on March 26.
His status continued to be listed as suspended on Wednesday.
According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan, he faced two professional misconduct charges during his time at St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon — one for calling a female colleague a "bitch" after a disagreement and telling someone else he "felt like slapping" that colleague and another for improper patient record-keeping.
While working in the U.S. state of Nevada, Nadler appeared before the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners in September 2018 and said staff members in Saskatoon emotionally abused him.
Nadler's next court date is scheduled for Sept. 7.
