The Michigan Daily
Vol. LXXXVII, No. 43-S
Ann Arbor, Michigan-Thursday, July 14, 1977
Ten Cents
Twelve Pages
Filipina Narciso walks out of the US Courthouse in Detroit yesterday with her Ed Stein and Laurence Burgess. Narciso and Perez were convicted by a federal
attorney, Thomas O'Brien, right, followed by Leonora Perez and her attorneys, jury of poisoning patients at the VA hospital.
Jury finds VA
mN
nurs
es guilty
By KEITH B. RICHBURG
Special to The Daily
DETROIT-Filipina Narciso and Leonora
Perez Were found guilty yesterday of pois-
oning six patients at the Ann Arbor Vet-
eran's Administration (VA) Hospital dur-
ing the summer of 1975. A jury of nine wo-
men and three men, aftera record break-
ing 94 hours of deliberation, also found
both nurses guilty of conspiracy.
Narcisco was aquitted of one poisoning
BULLETIN
A massive power blackout hitrNew York City,
and much of the state last night, sending people
scurrying for candles and flashlights. The power
went out at 9:34 p.m., and was still out at mid-
night when we went to press. Some scattered'
lighting remained on in the city, and officials'
said the blackout was not the same magnitude
as the famous 1965 power failure that plunged
much of the East Coast into darkness. See
story, Page 10.
count, and found not guilty of the only
murder charge in the indictment.
THE TWO nurses remained silent and
emotionless while the judge's clerk read
the jury's verdict. The defendants made
no statements following their convictions,
but Perez was later overheard to say "I
just can't believe it."
Reactions to the convictions ranged from
shock to disbelief in the 13-week-old trial
which swarmed with controversy.
The Phillipine Nurses Associaion (PNA)
has planned a demonstration this morning
in front of the federal building in down-
town Detroit to protest the verdict.
ATTORNEYS for both sides held news
conferences following the announcement
of the v e r d i c t. Assistant U.S. attorney
Richard Yanko, making the first statement
in the packed pressroom, said he felt con-
fident of getting a conviction all along.
Yanko also said he would have a state-
ment later this week, possibly to reveal
the motive for the-crimes.
The prosecutor was asked whether the
convictions meant Narciso and Perez were
See VA, Pageelt7 "
Nurse resigns: Locals
sad, angry, surprised
By RON DeKETT
At 10:36 a.m. yesterday, in a hushed courtroom, the VA
jury foreman announced a guilty verdict for two Filipino
nurses-a verdict which hurled the University community
into stunned disbelief and forced at least one Veterans
Administration Hospital nurse to resign.
"I just felt it was unsafe to work under the present ad-
ministration because nurses were unprotected from changing
hospital policy," Registered Nurse (RN) Judy Polacheck ex-
plained.
"I'M AFRAID there is going to be a witch hunt for more
nurses and I don't want to be one," she said.
Associate Nurse Patricia Thomas announced she also
intended to resign because she felt the verdict was a frame-
up.
Immediately after the verdict became public, VA Hos-
pital Chief of Staff Martin Lindenauer threw a curtain of
security around the hospital.
See LOCALS, Page 7