Mark R. Madler
An intensive care unit nurse testified Tuesday that the demeanor of
three nurses made her feel "something was wrong" when she went into
the room of a terminally ill cancer patient who had just died.
Jessica Bradley was testifying on the first day of the jury trial
of Amy Brunner, a former Providence St. Joseph Medical Center nurse
charged with involuntary manslaughter and practicing medicine without
certification in the June 2003 death of 80-year-old patient Pierre
Azar.
Also charged in the incident was Kelly Ann Miyasato, the nurse who
allegedly gave Azar the sedative Diprivan to calm him even though his
doctors did not prescribe the medication, authorities said.
When she went to Azar's hospital room after he had died, she found
Miyasato and two other nurses "scared and panicked," Bradley told the
seven-man, five-woman jury hearing the case.
"I felt something was wrong because everyone was still and
silent," Bradley added.
Bradley, a nurse at Providence St. Joseph's for more than seven
years, was the second witness to testify in the trial. Superior Court
Judge Janice Croft is presiding over the case.
Although Brunner, 26, of Alhambra, was not mentioned during
Bradley's testimony, Deputy District Atty. Vesna Maras said outside
of court she told the jury during her opening statement there was
dialogue between Brunner and Miyasato.
"She [Brunner] acknowledged having a role in giving a drug to
Miyasato and used by Miyasato leading to the death of the patient,"
Maras said.
Defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan declined to comment outside
of the courtroom.
Miyasato, of Redondo Beach, is scheduled to appear in court Monday
for a pre-trial conference.
