Psychiatric employees spent 20 minutes fist-bumping and chatting while patient died next to them

Three psychiatric staff members in Washington, D.C. are facing criminal charges after prosecutors say they failed to intervene as a patient in their care died during a medical emergency.

A federal grand jury indicted Nelson Kuma, 37, Richard Hounnou, 45, and Norma Munoz-Bent, 68, on charges of criminal negligence in connection with the death of a 58-year-old patient identified in court documents as “G.W.” The indictment was returned on March 31, and the three defendants were arraigned this past Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Prosecutors say the incident occurred on April 24, 2020, at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington. At the time, Kuma and Hounnou were working as psychiatric counselors, while Munoz-Bent was a registered nurse.

According to statements shared by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, the patient experienced a medical emergency that required resuscitation efforts. She explained that G.W. was placed under “one-to-one care,” meaning staff were expected to closely monitor him and perform regular 15-minute checks.

Two days after his initial emergency, surveillance footage allegedly shows G.W. lying on a mattress on the floor and beginning to struggle with breathing around 12:38 p.m. Prosecutors say he was unclothed at the time and visibly in distress.

Authorities allege that a hospital technician entered the room, observed that the patient was not breathing normally, but failed to take meaningful action for several minutes. A second technician then entered, and instead of immediately assisting, the two staff members allegedly spoke casually for several minutes inside the room.

Roughly 10 minutes after the distress began, Munoz-Bent reportedly entered the room, looked at the patient, placed her hands on her hips, and left within about a minute without providing direct care. Prosecutors say some blood testing was performed, but it was not done properly.

Officials allege that for at least 21 minutes, no effective life-saving measures were provided. By the time appropriate intervention was attempted, it was too late to save the patient.

G.W. was pronounced dead inside the facility. Authorities have not explained why nearly six years passed between the incident and the indictment.

During the announcement, Pirro said the staff failed to take basic emergency steps. She stated they did not initiate a code blue, check vital signs, or begin CPR, and instead remained disengaged while the patient deteriorated.

A code blue is an emergency hospital alert indicating a patient requires immediate life-saving intervention.

The investigation involved Disability Rights D.C., which has continued to raise concerns about patient safety and psychiatric care standards at the facility. The organization has said it continues monitoring conditions at the institute.

The Psychiatric Institute of Washington describes itself as a 130-bed psychiatric facility providing inpatient and outpatient services for children, adolescents, and adults dealing with mental health and substance use issues.

Family members of G.W. have also filed a civil lawsuit related to his death.

After their arraignment, Kuma, Hounnou, and Munoz-Bent were released while awaiting trial. Their next court date is scheduled for May 29.

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