What's life like in Supermax prison? | CNN He also used intricate tunnel systems for moving drugs and escaping authorities, but he wont have much luck if he tries that at Colorados Alcatraz. [13] In his book Blind Eye, Quincy native James B. Stewart estimated that counting the suspicious deaths at SIU, circumstantial evidence links Swango to 35 suspicious deaths. His death would be ruled a homicide, and his family sued Swango in 1986, believing him to be the murderer, according to, An internal probe of Swango brought about no conclusive evidence, but the school still ended his neurosurgery residency, according to, In the summer of 1984, Swango returned to Quincy, where he obtained a job as an, emergency medical technician with the Adams County Ambulance Service, reported. July 12, 2000 / 11:23 AM / CBS. On this coming Sunday August 16, 2020 at 9PM EST on HLN (CNN Headline News) the show Very Scary People - Dr Death, will detail the investigation and conviction of this doctor based largely upon my book . "If I could see him today? After being released from prison in 1989 on the poisoning charges, he worked for a time in Virginia before finding his way to Sioux Falls, where he again took up position as a doctor, this time with what is now Sanford Health. Did something happen that nobody noticed? Sackman had no proof, and without it Swango could decline Sackmans request to search his room. [5] In July 1992, he began working at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Guzman has claimed to have indirectly killed 2,000-3,000 people. Instead, 30 years later, what happens in Michael Swango? We had quite a team of people working on this thing, because thats what it takes, Sackman said. Michael Strahan Death Hoax Dismissed Since Footballer Is 'Alive And Well'. But he would break this oath dozens of times, as he was convicted of killing four people, and possibly killed up to 60 while he worked as both an EMT and a physician. [15] Over the span of 1996 to 1998, Rudolph committed four bombing attacks, two at abortion clinics and one at a lesbian bar. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. At one point he was even assigned to investigate who had leaked the identities of two Soviet agents who had been helping the Americans and were killed in the USSR after they were compromised. Two bald eagles and visitors are back along the Scioto River. His death would be ruled a homicide, and his family sued Swango in 1986, believing him to be the murderer, according toUPI. [29] Despite having very little formal education, Guzmans Sinona cartel grew to control 40%-60% of the drug trade in Mexico. Swango? The gang started as a white counterpart to African-American prison gangs when prisons began to desegregate, but has since grown to 20,000 members[25] They operate on a blood in, blood out motto which implies that members must kill or assault another prisoner or correctional officer to join, and the only way to leave the gang is death. Many who knew him say the same thing:. He forged a Restoration of Civil Rights letter from Virginia Governor Gerald L. Baliles, falsely stating that Baliles had decided to restore Swango's right to vote and serve on a jury, based on "reports from friends and colleagues" that he had committed no further crimes after his "misdemeanor" and was leading an "exemplary lifestyle". He also appealed to the authorities at Mpilo Hospital, Bulawayo, to allow him in the interim to continue working voluntarily there; however, this was opposed by Abdollah Mesbah, a surgical resident, who had often found him snooping around mysteriously in the wards and in the intensive care unit (ICU) even when not on call. Thats where we arrested him.. He is serving a life sentence. I Hunt Medical Serial Killers. Ask Me Anything. : r/IAmA - Reddit He even managed to convince a police officer who was looking for the escapee that he was just a jogger. Time is slowly putting Swango's story to rest, but Judge Dennis Cashman feels he has a responsibility to speak up about his involvement whenever he's asked, to serve the greater good. In July 1998, he was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison. Eventually, the school allowed him to graduate one year after his entering classmates, on condition that he repeat the OB/GYN rotation and complete several assignments in other specialties. Police arrested him at Chicagos OHare Airport on fraud charges for presenting a false statement to Stony Brook and illegally distributing controlled substances, according to theOffice of Inspector General. I certainly believe that he is a sick individual and he does not have the ability to comprehend what he did," Landis said. He planted several false clues in the bombs to mislead authorities, however, his own work would lead to his downfall. That Thanksgiving Day, the Discovery Channel aired an episode of Justice Files that included a segment on Swango. With nothing immediate to move on, Sackman left. Former SIU medical student sentenced to life for murders March1992: Secures a residency at a university hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, using forged documents. Prosecutors said Michael Swango killed for pleasure, and they read entries from a handwritten journal in which he mused about "the sweet, husky, close smell of indoor homicide." Another entry suggested that murder was "the only way I have of reminding myself that I'm still alive." Swango, 45, pleaded guilty to three counts of murder in a plea . Prosecutors read lurid passages from Swango's notebook, describing the joy he felt during his crimes. To the outside observer, this would seem like the likely end to his medical career in any shape or form. He sought medical work in other states including South Dakota, but was rejected after it was discovered he had forged documents and lied about his criminal past, reported, Standard procedures for checking applicants were not followed, former school dean Dr. Jordan Cohen told, As part of his residency, Swango began seeing patients at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northport, New York. [4] Attempts to track down the leaks that Hanssen was responsible for were complicated by the fact that there was a second mole, Aldrich Ames, working within the FBI at the same time. He has consulted with foreign police on cases, as well. His co-workers found him unusually grim. Why he did what he did," Landis said. [1][10] Before he resigned, Cohen sent a warning about Swango to all 125 medical schools and all 1,000 teaching hospitals across the US, effectively blacklisting Swango from getting a medical residency at any American institution. [1] Upon his return from Vietnam, John Swango became depressed and he and his wife Muriel divorced. Thomesen's conversation focused on Swango lying on his government application to work at the VA, where he prescribed narcotic medications. He can be reached at ekaufman@mitchellrepublic.com. KHQA asked Unmisig and Landis if they harbored any anger toward Swango today. July1984: Finds work as a paramedic in Quincy. Dr. Joseph Michael Swango's Disturbing "House of Horrors - YouTube He received an honorable discharge in 1980. Around this time, Swango met Kristin Lynn Kinney, a nurse at Riverside Hospital. There was enough evidence for Immigration and Naturalization Service agents to arrest Swango in June 1997, on a layover at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on his way to Saudi Arabia. There were still many victims in Zimbabwe. [19] He was a mathematics prodigy and began studying at Harvard at age 16. Yet investigators suspect that during his crime spree, which spanned 1981 to 1997, Swango may . He was a very handsome, charming guy. [8], Swango established a sterling reputation at Sanford. The writer analyzed the factors that make Michael Swango as a psychopath by using theories of personality by Sigmund Freud after found out the characteristic of Michael. Their answers reflect what many still wonder. All rights reserved. Swango was released from prison in 1987, after serving only two years. Growing up, Swango saw little of his father and as a result, was closer to his mother. Overwhelmingly, medical professionals are the salt of the earth., Courtesy / Sioux Falls Argus Leader file photo. Please enable javascript and refresh the page to continue reading local news. "I've always felt like it's old news, but at the same time, as long as it gets attention, it might help prevent something like this from happening again," Cashman said. Swango is arrested and charged, but goes into hiding. Most states will not grant a medical license to a violent felon, considering such a conviction to be evidence of unprofessional conduct. [1], Faced with hard evidence of his fraudulent activities and the possibility of an extended inquiry into his time in Zimbabwe, Swango pleaded guilty to defrauding the government in March 1998. Patients there soon began dying under odd circumstances. Amid the reports and a sub-par performance record, administrators canceled the residency it had offered him, and he returned to his home town of Quincy, Illinois, to work as an emergency medical technician on an ambulance crew. On July 11, 2000, less than a week before he was due to be released from prison on the fraud charge, federal prosecutors on Long Island, New York, filed a criminal complaint charging Swango with three counts of murder, one count of assault and one count each of false statements, mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They also found evidence that Swango paralyzed patient Baron Harris with an injection of what was supposedly a sedative. Real Name: Joseph Michael Swango Aliases: Michael Kirk, David Jackson Adams, Jack Kirk, Michael Swan, "Double-O Swango" Wanted For: Making False Statements, Questioning in Murders Missing Since: October 1993 Details: On February 7, 1984, at the State University Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, an intern, Dr. Michael Swango, checked on a sixty-nine-year-old woman, Rena Cooper, who was recovering . He was later accused of falsifying patient reports and threatened with expulsion, but he ultimately graduated, reported theLos Angeles Times. So Sackman and his partner headed up to Northport to see what was going on. Thirty years after slipping poison into the food and drink of his Quincy co-workers, those who knew him reflected on a life gone wrong. The FBI believes he may be responsible for as many as 60 deaths, which would make him one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. He eventually graduated behind schedule. In July 2000, Swango was charged with the murders of three New York state patients.