Alleged Killer’s Court Appearance Weighed

A district attorney said he was trying to determine whether Charles Cullen could be compelled to appear in court so relatives of the patients he was accused of killing could confront him if he was sentenced to life in prison.

Cullen, a former registered nurse, is expected to plead guilty in the next few weeks to charges he killed six patients at two hospitals with lethal doses of medication.

Under the proposed plea agreement, Cullen would be spared the death penalty in exchange for helping to identify his victims.

Cullen already has pleaded guilty to killing 17 during a 16-year career at hospitals in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.