The Angel of Death

"The next thing I knew, I'd smothered him. It was like it was the last straw. I just lost it. I went in to help the man and he wants to rub that in my face."

HARVEY ON HIS FIRST MURDER

Donald "Donnie" Harvey, also known as The Angel of Death, was an angel of death-type serial killer, poisoner, and one-time arsonist.

Background

Harvey was born on April 15, 1952, as the first of three siblings. When he was only six months old, his father fell asleep while holding him and accidentally dropped him on his head. Harvey did not appear to have been seriously injured by this, but his soft spot never closed. Harvey's parents had a poor relationship with each other, yet were described as loving and nurturing to their three children. He also received another head injury when he fell from the running board of a truck. Harvey's uncle Wayne was also known to have sexually abused Harvey whenever he visited his grandmother's house, abuse which included assisting in masturbating and oral sex. He was also paid to allow a neighbor of his, Dan Thomas, to sexually abuse him as well (things which presumably caused his homosexuality). In school, Harvey was described as a teacher's pet and got good grades, but was very quiet and anti-social and was teased as a result. In 1968, Harvey went on to high school, but grew bored of it and dropped out.

He briefly secured a job at a factory plant but was laid-off. After obtaining a GED, Harvey's mother called him to come back to his hometown to stay with his ailing grandfather and he did. Harvey arrived at the Marymount Hospital in London. There, Harvey quickly became popular and well-liked by the staff there and eventually received a job there. It was here that Harvey's reign of terror would begin and last for nearly 20 years. In his personal life, Harvey had another sexual encounter and began a relationship with another man named James Peluso and was raped by a roommate named Randy White.

Killings, Arrest, Sentencing, and Death

Harvey committed his first confirmed murder on May 31, 1970, the victim being an 88-year old Logan Evans, who Harvey smothered with a pillow and a plastic bag allegedly in a rage at Evans rubbing feces in his face. He also accidentally killed another man named James Tyree when he gave him the wrong catheter; Harvey held him down until he vomited blood and died. Harvey's first actual "mercy kill" was a 42-year old Elizabeth Wyatt, who he killed by cutting off her oxygen supply, supposedly because she told him she wanted to die and even heard her praying for death. Harvey began a relationship with another man named Vernon Midden, who supposedly taught him a lot about how human bodies react to certain things (something which helped him in his murders). Midden was also supposedly an occultist. Their relationship began to sour, something which caused Harvey to become depressed and began fantasizing about torturing and killing Midden. Harvey was arrested on March 31, 1971 for a burglary he committed while drunk. While under interrogation, a drunken Harvey babbled incoherently about his murders, but these were ultimately discarded and Harvey was only charged with petty theft (which he payed a fine for rather than serve prison time).

Harvey also started an arson fire in a suicide attempt and was charged a $50 fine. Afterward, Harvey enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. After being discharged less than a year later, Harvey became depressed again and checked himself into the Veteran's Administration Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky. He stayed there for several months before leaving and then returning again several weeks later. He received extensive therapy there after a failed suicide attempt and was released again. Harvey eventually found another job as a nurse's aide at Cardinal Hill Hospital in Lexington. Harvey was able to manage both jobs until he took up another as a telephone operator in August of 1974 and another as a clerk at St. Luke's Hospital. Harvey moved back to Ohio in September of 1975 and secured a job at the Cincinnati V.A. Medical Hospital, where his murders finally resumed.

Harvey had several relationships, including one in which he attempted to kill his lover, Doug Hill, with arsenic. He also poisoned several of his neighbors and family members of acquaintances (several of whom died). Harvey was finally captured after an extensive investigation and search of his apartment turned up lots of evidence. He was eventually found guilty of 28 counts of murder and sentenced to 28 consecutive life sentences at the Toledo Correctional Institution. On March 28, 2017, Harvey was found savagely beaten and was declared dead two days later, aged 64. James Elliot was later charged with Harvey's aggravated murder on March 30 and received 25-to-life.

Modus Operandi

Harvey primarily targeted patients at the hospitals he worked at, yet also killed other victims (usually people who made him paranoid or crossed him in some way). He usually killed them either by smothering them with a pillow or plastic bag, setting up their deaths to look like accidents (such as giving them faulty medical equipment, overdosing them on medication, etc), and mainly by using various poisons (usually cyanide or arsenic), which he usually injected through medical equipment or foods and drinks.

Known Victims

Confirmed

1970

May 31: Logan Evans and James Tyree

Logan Evans, 88 (smothered with a pillow and plastic bag)

James Tyree, 69 (accidental; gave him the wrong catheter, causing him to vomit blood and die)

June 22: Elizabeth Wyatt, 42 (cut off her oxygen supply)

July 10: Eugene McQueen, 43 (turned over on his back, causing him to drown in his own fluids)

July 12: Harvey Williams, 82 (accidental; gave him a faulty oxygen tank, causing him to go into cardiac arrest)

July 24: Ben Gilbert, 81 (first premeditated murder; killed for knocking him out with a urinal; gave him a too large catheter and put a straightened coat hanger through it and into his urethra , puncturing his bladder and bowel; went into instant shock and a coma, where he died four days later)

August 15: Maude Nichols (gave her a faulty oxygen tank)

August 30: William Bowling, 58 (turned off his oxygen tank, causing a fatal heart attack)

November 4: Viola Reed Wyran, 63 (attempted to kill her by smothering her by smothering her with a pillow and plastic bag but was interrupted; later killed her by giving her a faulty oxygen tank)

December 7: Margaret Harrison, 91 (overdosed her on Demerol, codeine, and morphine)

1971

January 9: Sam Carroll, 80 (gave him a faulty oxygen tank)

January 15: Maggie Rawlins (smothered with a pillow and a plastic bag between it and her face)

January 23: Silas Butner, 62 (gave him a faulty oxygen tank)

January 26: John V. Combs, 68 (attempted to smother him with a plastic bag, but instead gave him a faulty oxygen tank)

March 14: Milton Bryant Sasser, 90 (overdosed him on morphine)

March 31: A victimless burglary

June: A victimless arson

1980

Unspecified date: Doug Hill (one of his lovers; attempted to poison with arsenic)

Unspecified date: Carl Hoeweler (one of his lovers; poisoned repeatedly with arsenic; survived)

Unspecified date: Diane (Hoeweler's "faghag"; given Hepatitis C, poisoned with acrylic acid, and attempted to give AIDS; survived)

1983

April 10: Helen Metzger, 63 (killed for an argument; was given arsenic after a tracheotomy, causing paralysis and hemorrhaging)

Unspecified date: The Metzger family (attempted to poison alongside Helen, but failed)

April 25: Henry Hoeweler, 82 (Hoeweler's father; poisoned with arsenic, causing a stroke and kidney failure; died on May 1)

Unspecified date: Howard Vetter (Hoeweler's brother-in-law; accidental; drank alcohol Harvey had poisoned; died from a heart attack)

1984

September 19: Hiram Profitt (accidentally overdosed him on heparin)

November 9: James Peluso, 65 (one of his ex-lovers; poisoned with arsenic, causing death from cardiac problems)

March 18, 1985: Edward Wilson (a neighbor who tried to protect Hoeweler; poisoned with arsenic and died five days later)

1986

April 8: Nathani J. Watson, 65 (smothered with a wet plastic garbage bag liner; unsuccessfully attempted several times prior)

April 12: Leon Nelson, 64 (smothered with a wet plastic garbage bag liner)

April 19: Virgil Weddle, 81 (poisoned with rat poison in his pudding, causing a fatal heart attack)

April 20: Lawrence Berndsen (poisoned repeatedly with rat poison; died three days later)

May 2: Doris Nally, 65 (poisoned with cyanide in her apple juice)

Unspecified dates from May-June: Willie Johnson (attempted to poison with arsenic repeatedly)

June 20: Edward Schreibesis, 63 (poisoned with arsenic in his soup)

June 29: Robert Crockett, 80 (poisoned with cyanide in his I.V.)

July 7: Donald Barney, 61 (fed cyanide through a feeding tube and injected it into his buttocks)

July 25: James T. Woods, 65 (poisoned with cyanide through his gastric tube)

August 16: Ernst C. Frey, 85 (poisoned with arsenic through his gastric tube)

August 29: Milton Canter, 85 (poisoned with cyanide through his nasal tube)

September 17: Roger Evans, 74 (poisoned with cyanide through his gastric tube)

September 20: Clayborn Kendrick (poisoned with cyanide through both his gastric tube and an injection into his testes)

October 29: Albert Buehimann, 69 (poisoned with cyanide dissolved in his cup of water)

October 30: William Collins, 85 (poisoned with cyanide dissolved in his orange juice)

November 4: Henry Cody, 78 (poisoned with cyanide dissolved in water through his gastric tube)

November 22: Mose Thompson, 65 (poisoned with cyanide dissolved in water through his gastric tube)

December 9: Odas Day, 72 (poisoned with a cyanide solution)

December 10: Cleo Fish, 67 (poisoned with cyanide in her cranberry juice; removed a lock of her hair post-mortem and burned it)

December (date further unspecified): Harold White and John Oldendick: (poisoned both with arsenic; survived)

1987

January 1: Leo Parker, 47 (poisoned with cyanide in his feed bag)

February 5: Margaret Kuckro, 80 (poisoned with cyanide in her orange juice)

February: Stella Lemon, 76 (poisoned with cyanide in her orange juice; died on March 16)

March 6: Joseph M. Pike, 68 (poisoned with detachol)

March 7: Hilda Leitz and John W. Powell

Hilda Leitz, 82 (poisoned with detachol in her G-tube and her orange juice)

John W. Powell (poisoned with cyanide in his gastric feeding tube)

Possible

1975

Unspecified date: Joseph Harris (killed with a reduced oxygen tank; was never indicted for this murder)

Unspecified dates: The following were killed by unknown means:

James Twitty

James Ritter

Harry Rhodes

Sterling Moore

Note: Though Harvey was only officially convicted of 37 murders, he claimed to have killed 87 in total.

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