Murder-charge doctor ’framed’

Press, 8 March 1978, Page 8

Murder-charge doctor ’framed’

jNZPA Hackensack (New Jersey) The defence lawyer for a doctor charged with killing five hospital patients by injecting them with curare, has said that the surgeon has been framed by a colleague. Raymond Brown. Dr Mario Jascalevich’s defence counsel, said in his opening remarks that another doctor at Riverdell Hospital in Oradell, New Jersey, wanted Dr Jascalevich blamed for the series of deaths in 1965 and 1966. Dr Suybil Moses, the assistant prosecutor for Bergen County, opened her case by telling the jury that the state would prove Dr Jascalevich, who is 50, injected fatal doses of curare into the patients. She said he was seen at their bedsides before they died, even though none of them was his batient.

“In every case, one person was there before and after the deaths of these people

— this defendant,” Dr Moses told the jury.

Mr Brown said that the patients, who died suddenly while in hospital for routine surgery, were under the care of Dr Stanley Harris and Dr Alan Lans. Mr Brown said that the hospital board had been concerned about a high death rate among patients and had (called a meeting on November 2, 1966, to discuss the deaths.

He said that the day before the meeting Dr Harris had broken into a locker shared by; Dr Jascalevich and other surgeons and had reported finding quantities of curare and syringes.

; “The whole score here is I the settling of a score,” Mr Brown said. “When Harris learned Jascalevich was disturbed by the high mortalityrate, he (Harris) made sure he (Harris) was not called by the board. I can assure you he never answered to this day.” Mr Brown indicated that other doctors were responsible for the high mortality :rate.