Judge won’t dismiss 25 murder counts against Ohio doctor

By KANTELE FRANKO
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A judge won’t dismiss the 25-count murder indictment against a doctor accused of ordering excessive painkillers for hospital patients in central Ohio’s Mount Carmel Health System. That means one of the biggest cases of its kind ever brought against a U.S. health care professional will proceed toward trial. Lawyers for 46-year-old William Husel say he was providing comfort care for dying patients. They argue there was prosecutorial misconduct in how the case was presented to a grand jury for indictment. A Franklin County judge ruled Friday that the defense team didn’t sufficiently demonstrate that. Husel is scheduled for trial in February.