Photo: JoJo Whilden/Netflix
Not all heroes wear capes.
The Good Nursechronicles the heroic, yet harrowing happenings of nurseAmy Loughren, who helped put an end to the killing spree of her colleague — and former friend — once she learned that he was responsible for the murders of dozens of patients over the course of sixteen years.
At the center of the story is Charles Cullen, who committed a series of crimes that took place in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
“Watching the movie gave me permission to be proud of myself,” Loughren told PEOPLE. “I showed up as a mom. I showed up as a nurse. I showed up as a friend. The only reason Charlie is not still murdering is because of my friendship with him.”
Between the crimes Cullen committed and how Loughren helped put him behind bars, here’s everything to know about the real-life events thatThe Good Nursestrives to tell.
Who is Amy Loughren?
The Good Nurse True Story Amy Loughren and Charles Cullen.Dia Dipasupil/Getty
Up until 2003, Loughren served as a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at Somerset Hospital in New Jersey. She also worked as a trauma and ER nurse. During those years, the single mom of two described herself as an exhausted andoverworked “lazy Buddhist,” per her website.
She confided in spiritual gurus, energy healers, visionaries, and real-life and modern-day Buddhas to help her understand how she could have been friends with such a dark person. Upon finding the answers to her questions, she now guides others in finding deeper connections within themselves.
Per her website,Loughren currently works as a Reiki Master, a hypnotherapist, NLP practitioner, meditation instructor, DreamSculptor practitioner, reconnective healer, integrative energy healer, past life regressionist, crystal language reader and medical intuitive with over 30 years of experience.
Who is Charles Cullen?
The Good Nurse True Story Amy Loughren and Charles Cullen.John Wheeler/Getty
Cullen was born on Feb. 22, 1960, and grew up in West Orange, New Jersey. In the wake of both his parents' deaths, he suffered from depression andattempted suicide numerous times,The New York Timesreports. Prior to becoming a nurse, he served in the Navy for a short period of time, perThe Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder.
What crimes did Charles Cullen commit?
The Good Nurse True Story Amy Loughren and Charles Cullen.Ron Antonelli/NY Daily News Archive via Getty
He hopped from hospital to hospital, including Warren Hospital, Hunterdon Medical Center, Morristown Memorial Hospital, Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pa. and St. Luke’s. — despite being fired from orforced out of at least six facilities, according to NJ.com.
“Five hospitals knew he was hurting patients andstill gave him a neutral reference, sending him on to continue his killing spree,” wrote Loughren on her website.
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How did Amy Loughren learn of Charles Cullen’s crimes?
The Good Nurse True Story Amy Loughren and Charles Cullen.John Wheeler/Getty, Arturo Holmes/WireImage
In 2003, Detective Danny Baldwin and Det. Tim Braun visited Somerset Medical Center to investigate abnormal lab reports after the deaths of several patients. Loughren was among the staff they interviewed and trusted with their gathered evidence.
Baldwin showed Loughren a record of the names and dosing information of drugs that her colleague Cullen had withdrawn while on duty in the ICU. “It was very,very obvious there was something not right,” Loughren told PEOPLE.
She knew it was her duty to help with the case to prevent any more patients from getting hurt or killed, so the strong-minded nurse worked with the team of dedicated detectives and assistant prosecutors on the case.
How did Charles Cullen get caught?
The Good Nurse True Story Amy Loughren and Charles Cullen.Don Fisher/Allentown Morning Call/Tribune News Service via Getty
After Loughren discovered the truth about Cullen, she agreed to secretly record conversations with him for Somerset County Police Department investigators. With police waiting outside, Loughren met him at a restaurant in an attempt to coax him into confessing his crimes.
Although she wanted to help put an end to the madness, she was morally conflicted because of her former friendship with Cullen. “I waswrestling with how much I still caredfor him,” Loughren told PEOPLE. “He was my friend. I didn’t know the murderer.”
Despite those thoughts, she confronted Cullen about the sudden deaths he had caused at the hospital. She even offered to accompany him to the police station to turn himself in.
Loughren told PEOPLE that his unsettling response still sticks with her. She recalled: “He sat straight up. The color of his eyes changed. He put a smirk on his face and said, ‘I’m going to go down fighting.'”
What was Charles Cullen charged with?
Some experts believe that Cullen could be guilty of an estimated 400 murderers tied to suspicious circumstances in the deaths of patients at other hospitals where he worked in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, though the information can not be proven without further admission from Cullen.
Where is Charles Cullen now?
Currently,Cullen is serving a life sentenceat New Jersey State Prison in Trenton as part of an agreement with prosecutors to help them identify his victims, per NJ.com.
The Good Nurseis currently showing in select theaters and premieres on Netflix on Oct. 26.
source: people.com
