‘The Good Nurse’: How Many People Did Charles Cullen Murder?
The Good Nurse is one of Netflix’s newest true crime movies. It tells the story of serial killer Charles Cullen, a nurse who confessed to killing dozens of people during his 16-year career in medicine.
Since 2006, Cullen has been serving 11 consecutive life sentences in jail. So how many people did he murder before he was apprehended?
What is ‘The Good Nurse’ about?
The film stars Eddie Redmayne as Cullen. Jessica Chastain plays Amy Loughren, one of Cullen’s coworkers who suspects foul play when patients start dying under Cullen’s care.
The Good Nurse is about Cullen and his crimes. But Redmayne and Chastain made it clear that the movie focuses on Loughren.
“The thing I liked so much about the film is that we see so often films about a serial killer or a story and it’s fetishized,” Chastain told Deadline. She shared that The Good Nurse doesn’t “celebrate” or “glorify” Cullen; instead, it tells Loughren’s story.
Charles Graeber wrote “The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder,” the book that was the basis for the Netflix movie.
He echoed Chastain’s statements, telling the LA Times that Loughren was “the heart of the story” and that she was “the whole reason” he felt the need to tell the story. Graeber also praised the movie for its accuracy, explaining that it didn’t “oversimplify” any of Cullen’s crimes, but focused on “the banality of evil.”
Is everything in ‘The Good Nurse’ true?
The Good Nurse closely follows real-life events. But a few changes were made to streamline the story. One of the biggest changes is Cullen’s relationship with Loughren’s children. In the show, the murderer spends time in Loughren’s home and meets her kids. In real life, he never went to her house and did not know her children.
Other elements of the movie, such as Loughren’s severe heart issues and her confrontation of Cullen while wearing a wire, came straight from real life.
How many people did Charles Cullen kill?
Cullen was arrested in 2003 and charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder. While in police custody, he admitted to murdering over 40 patients during his nursing career.
However, police are unsure of the total number of Cullen’s victims. While being questioned about his crimes, Cullen could not remember all his victims’ names. He has 29 confirmed victims, but experts think the real number might be closer to 400.
It’s difficult to confirm Cullen’s victims for several reasons. Many hospitals’ records have been destroyed or are incomplete. This makes it difficult to find or dispute a presumed victim’s cause of death.
Where is Charles Cullen today?
Cullen confessed to the murders and plead guilty to killing 13 patients and attempting to murder two more. As part of a plea bargain, he agreed to cooperate with authorities if they did not seek the death penalty.
In a separate trial in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Cullen pled guilty to murdering six patients and attempting to murder three others.
Today, Cullen is held in the New Jersey State Prison after receiving eleven consecutive life sentences. He will not be eligible for parole until 2403.
