Stafford nurse gets 20 months for stealing morphine from dying patient

Aug. 26—A licensed practical nurse from Stafford has been sentenced to 20 months in federal prison for ingesting liquid morphine that had been prescribed to a dying patient in a Massachusetts nursing home and replacing the missing morphine with water that diluted the patient's dose.

The nurse, Danielle D. Works, 42, received the sentence last week from Judge Mark G. Mastroianni in U.S. District Court in Springfield, according to a statement from the Massachusetts U.S. attorney's office. Works will be on supervised release, which is similar to probation, for three years after she is released from prison.

She pleaded guilty in March to a single count of tampering with a consumer product.

The tampering occurred Jan. 27, 2018, at Governor's Center, a nursing home in Westfield, Massachusetts,

"As a result of stealing her patient's morphine, Works became intoxicated to the point that she was unable to perform her job and unable to care for her deeply ill patients," prosecutor Christopher Looney wrote in his sentencing memorandum, reciting information from a probation officer's presentence report.

"The diluted medication was given to Patient EA and appeared ineffective in providing pain relief," the prosecutor continued. "Patient EA passed away the day after this incident. Subsequent testing demonstrated that Works had diluted Patient EA's morphine to 70% of its original potency."

He added that Works has admitted engaging in similar conduct at two previous jobs, sometimes diluting the remaining morphine with water and sometimes with cough syrup to match the color of the morphine.

There was a disagreement between the two sides as to the sentence recommended by federal guidelines. But even the calculation advocated by Works' lawyer, Darren T. Griffis, called for her to receive at least 4 1/4 years in prison, more than twice the prison term the judge ultimately imposed.

Griffis had asked the judge to reduce the sentence even farther, imposing no immediate prison time but five years of supervision in the community.

"Sentencing her to a term of incarceration could create a risk undermining the hard work and accomplishments of her life following this offense," the defense lawyer wrote in his sentencing memo.

He cited Works' voluntary participation in "a drug treatment program that involves a comprehensive approach to her treatment and strict monitoring to ensure her sobriety.

"She has had remarkable success in maintaining a sober lifestyle," he continued.

In addition, the defense lawyer wrote, Works entered a consent order with the Connecticut Department of Public Health that has enabled her to work as a nurse for a primary care practice.

The defense lawyer traced Works' drug addiction to a 2004 car accident, in which she fractured multiple vertebrae in her neck and upper back. He said the severe pain caused by the injury was treated with prescription opioids, which led to a severe addiction that she has struggled with ever since.

He said Works has managed to maintain sobriety for periods of time but relapsed shortly before the crime due to depression she experienced after undergoing six in vitro fertilization procedures and being told that she could never conceive a child.

She ultimately managed to have a daughter, who is now a year old. Works has dedicated herself to raising the girl, according to the defense lawyer.

The judge gave Works until Sept. 29 to report to prison.

For updates on Glastonbury, and recent crime and courts coverage in North-Central Connecticut, follow Alex Wood on Twitter: @AlexWoodJI1, Facebook: Alex Wood, and Instagram: @AlexWoodJI.

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