A nurse at a VA hospital in Houston, Texas, allegedly stated that she checked in on an elderly veteran several times on the night he died.
Federal prosecutors dispute this claim.
Christiana Ogbonnaya, who was working as a nurse at the time of James Duplechain’s death, has been charged with creating or using false documents. According to prosecutors, she checked on him about eight hours before seeing him die.
Her attorney of record did not immediately respond to a Law&Crime request for comment. KTRK, a Houston ABC affiliate, reported that the defendant hung up when asked for comment.
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“This individual is no longer a VA employee,” the Houston VA said in a statement to the media. “These allegations are abhorrent, and the Houston VA is cooperating fully with law enforcement as its investigation continues.”
Duplechain’s wife told the outlet that she thought he might still be alive if Ogbonnaya had checked on him that night.
According to a timeline outlined in federal documents reviewed by Law&Crime, the defendant worked an overnight shift beginning at 7:30 p.m. on July 26, 2024 and ending at 8 a.m. the next morning. She was allegedly responsible for three patients, including Duplechain.
At around 4:39 a.m., Duplechain was discovered unresponsive, hanging from a phone charging cable wrapped around his neck. He was pronounced dead at 5:05 a.m.
Prosecutors say Ogbonnaya last checked on Duplechain, 74, at 8:45 p.m., but she allegedly told investigators she checked in on him at 11:10 p.m., 1:15 a.m., and 2:55 a.m.
The nurse allegedly violated the law by lying on the VA record. She was indicted on May 7, and the case was unsealed on Monday.
According to records, the Harris County medical examiner determined that his death was a suicide.
Duplechain’s obituary described him as a U.S. Army veteran who was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War. Following his departure, he worked in refineries and construction before spending 28 years as an operator at Bayer Chemical.
“If you drove down the street, you would find him working in his yard,” the obituary read. “What a strong, great man. James was a dog lover like no other. James set an excellent example as a husband, father, and grandfather. He was spiritually strong, compassionate, and had a clever sense of humour. Above all, he adored and appreciated his family and friends.”
