Jennifer Hall.Photo: Livingston County Sheriff’s Office
Former hospital respiratory therapistJennifer Hallhas pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge filed in Missouri earlier this month, PEOPLE confirms.
Hall, now 41, was charged May 4 in connection with the death of 75-year-old Fern Franco — one of nine patients at Hedrick Medical Center in Chillicothe, Mo., who suspiciously died over a three-month period in 2001 and 2002.
Hall’s defense attorney, Matt O’Connor, tells PEOPLE that as a respiratory therapist, his client did not have access to the drugs “supposedly used in this case.”
“She was charged with murder for allegations that are over 20 years old and were not brought to her attention anywhere near the time of occurrence,” O’Connor says.
In 2012, amid speculation of her involvement in the patients' deaths, Hall agreed to aninterview with KMBCwhere she denied being a serial killer. “It’s shocking to know that somebody can think something so horrible of you and the real truth is out there somewhere,” Hall told the news station at the time.
Asked if she worried about being arrested in the future, Hall said, “No, I did nothing wrong. I feel like the truth is out there. It just needs to be found.”
For several days after the May 4 murder charge was filed, Hall was unaccounted for. On May 12, investigators tracked her location to a motel in Overland Park, Kan., where she was apprehended without incident,according to the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office.
In light of Hall’s not guilty plea, her case will go to trial, which O’Connor believes will be “a voluminous task given the stale nature of the allegation.”
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Just before Hall was located and arrested last week, Fern’s granddaughter, Aprille Franco, spoke to PEOPLE about the murder charge — and the prospect of finally locking up Fern’s killer two decades after his death.
“I hope this will make it to trial,” Aprille said, “and if [Hall’s] not the one responsible, I hope they dig deeper into who is responsible.”
source: people.com
