‘The Good Nurse’: Charles Cullen Showed Alarming Behavior Toward His Ex-Wife and Daughters Before His Murders Began
The Good Nurse became one of Netflix’s most popular true-crime movies in late October 2022. Fans are curious to know more about the real-life Charles Cullen, a murderer who might have killed up to 400 people. So what do we know about his early life?
What is ‘The Good Nurse’ about?
The Good Nurse tells the story of Amy Loughren, a nurse who strikes up a friendship with a new co-worker, Charles Cullen. She becomes suspicious of Cullen after people in the hospital mysteriously die due to insulin injections.
Loughren goes to the police with her suspicions. They have her wear a wire to get information from Cullen. After hearing enough evidence to support an arrest, they put Cullen in jail, where he eventually confessed to over 40 murders.
The movie’s story sticks very closely to the real-life events, but only focused on a period shortly before Cullen’s arrest. Many viewers were curious about Cullen’s past, hoping to find clues as to what drove him to kill.
Charles Cullen’s troubled past
Like many serial killers, Cullen had a troubled childhood, as Crime + Investigation reports. His father died when he was just an infant, and his mother died while he was still in high school. Shortly after her death, Cullen lost two of his siblings. One of the siblings he lost was a brother with cancer who Cullen personally cared for.
Cullen dropped out of high school and joined the Navy, then enrolled in the Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing after being discharged. He graduated in 1987 and got married to Adrienne Taub. The couple had two daughters.
Charles Cullen’s divorce, odd behavior, and suicide attempts
In January 1993, Taub filed for divorce. She also contacted the police and told them she was scared of Cullen, saying he had done things like spiking drinks with lighter fluid and calling funeral homes to enquire about rates.
Taub also said that she feared for her and their daughters’ safety because he was a nurse with access to drugs. She also filed several domestic violence complaints that detailed Cullen’s actions.
These complaints listed behavior like putting their daughters’ pet in the trash can, burning their books in the fireplace, and dropping the girls off with a babysitter and not returning for a week. Taub said she had to get rid of all the family pets because she feared what Cullen might do to them.
Taub tried to file a restraining order, but the judge would not grant one, as Cullen was merely guilty of “odd behavior, not threatening violence.”
After the divorce, Cullen turned to alcohol and even attempted suicide several times. After breaking into the home of another nurse, the judge finally granted Taub’s restraining order against her ex-husband.
Why ‘The Good Nurse’ focused on Amy Loughren
The Good Nurse focuses on Loughren’s bravery instead of Cullen’s crimes. In an interview about the show, Jessica Chastain, who played Loughren, spoke about why the movie decided to tell Loughren’s story.
Chastain told Harper’s Bazaar that the movie had “an important message,” and shared that Loughren “stopped a cycle of violence with humanity and compassion.”
