Elder abuse leads to guilty pleas for husband, daughter in death of Bonnie Nightingale, 71

By Jen Samuel

WEST CHESTER — The tragic end of one woman’s life still led to minimal sentences imposed upon her daughter and husband in the Chester County Court of Common Pleas in an elder abuse case prosecuted by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.

Richard Nightingale, 78, and daughter, Kaci Nightingale, 40, will each serve one-week in prison.

Bonnie Marie Nightingale was found dead on a mattress placed on the floor inside her West Sadsbury home on July 20, 2021. Her cause of death was ruled cerebral infarction due to atherosclerosis. Other conditions of death included severe malnutrition, severe dehydration, decubitus ulcers and coronary atherosclerosis.

A certification of death provided by the Chester County Coroner’s Office on Jan. 15 still listed her manner of death as “undetermined.” She’d suffered from dementia for nearly a decade.

Christina VandePol was the Chester County coroner in 2021 when she reported the death of Bonnie Nightingale, 71, to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office due to concern for abuse. The case was then referred to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

Charges were filed against Bonnie’s husband and daughter on July 7, 2023, after years of investigation. Richard and Kaci were charged with neglect of care of a dependent person, recklessly endangering another person, simple assault, and aggravated assault.

Further, Kaci was employed by a home health service provider as a personal care assistant and received monetary compensation for this employment, according to the criminal complaint. Bonnie was last seen by a doctor in 2015.

A trial began on Oct. 30 and lasted three days until Richard Nightingale and Kaci Nightingale reached an open plea agreement with the state just prior to the jury rendering verdicts. Both pleaded guilty to neglect of a care-dependent person. As such, several other charges were dropped. The maximum sentence is seven years for neglect of a care-dependent person.

Kaci also pleaded guilty to a fraud-related charge of provider-prohibited acts for accepting money for care services she didn’t provide her mother toward the end of her life.

Judge Bret Binder presided over the case and issued the sentencing on Jan. 14.

Due to a prior criminal history involving burglary in Philadelphia two decades ago, Binder sentenced Richard to 9-18 months in prison with electronic home confinement applying after one week and five years probation.

Due to not having a criminal record, Kaci was sentenced twice, on the fraud and neglect charges, to serve one week to nine months in prison, followed by five years of probation, and she can serve her sentences concurrently. It was clear as the courtroom neared adjournment that both were expected to serve only one week in prison each, respectfully, with Kaci reporting to begin her sentence on Feb.1 and returning home Feb. 7, and Richard reporting to serve his sentence in prison for one-week on Feb. 9, followed by home confinement with a cost to the family of $15 per day.

‘Letting her die’

VandePol was in attendance at the Chester County Justice Center for the sentencing proceedings.

“It was shocking that neither Bonnie’s husband or her daughter expressed remorse about what had happened. I’m pleased both will serve some prison time, though not enough, in my opinion. I hope this outcome encourages other prosecutors to vigorously pursue elder neglect and abuse cases,” VandePol said on Wednesday.

“I attended Bonnie Nightingale’s autopsy,” she said. “What I saw sickened me: she weighed only 83 lbs. and had bed sores so deep you could see the bone. Even the way she was found when we retrieved her body — lying naked on a mattress on the floor — was horrifying. It was unbelievable that in 10 years Bonnie had never received medical care, and that her family had never bothered to get help, instead just letting her die like that.

“Elder abuse is a complex, multi-system problem,” VandePol said. “It won’t be solved with one prosecution or legislative action, but our legislators could make a start by amending the Pennsylvania Coroner Statute to require nursing homes, assisted living, and personal care homes to report all deaths, regardless of cause, to their county coroner.”

She said this abuse can and does happen in both private homes and care facilities.

“Abuse of older adults and adults with disabilities is not uncommon, just invisible,” VandePol said.

Elder abuse on the rise

According to an annual report by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, between July 2023 and June 2024, there were 58,614 reports of elder abuse statewide, increased by 9%. The investigations conducted led to 14,302 substantiated cases.

There were 41,221 investigations launched; only 70% of all reports were investigated. The report said 32% of these abuse allegations stem from financial exploitation.

Notably, 46% of abusers were family members, the most common perpetrators, followed by caregivers, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Aging’s report.

In the Nightingale case, Kaci was both a daughter and a caregiver.

Before sentencing, attorney Benjamin McKenna for the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General said this case wasn’t about providing “perfect care” but that no one ever called for help to treat Bonnie’s suffering.

He asked Binder to impose a sentence that recognizes that her suffering was not necessary and “honors the dignity that all care-dependent people deserve across this Commonwealth.”

“Toward the end of her life, she suffered immensely,” McKenna said.

Today, Richard lives with his daughter Kaci, his daughter Erin, and his grandchildren.

“Thank you, your honor, for giving me a chance to move on and be with my family,” Richard said before sentencing. He did not mention his wife.

“This case is particularly difficult from a sentencing perspective, given the level of harm she endured and the lack of intent to harm,” Binder said. Still, the disregard for her care could not be overlooked.

‘They need and deserve excellent care’

Barbara Croyle is a senior living advisor of Aging Confident in Landenberg.

Home care is helping with bathing, dressing, food prep, transportation, and companionship, she said. In contrast, home health care is nursing care and medication giving.

There are now 63 million family caregivers providing home health care in 2025, Croyle said.

She said 95% of boomers want to “age-in-place” when asked. “That assumes a lot of things that they will need to have: good health, caregiver support, which can cost a lot depending on how often it is needed, a home environment that supports aging, technology that supports aging,” Croyle said.

“Elder abuse is not uncommon,” Croyle said. It can be physical, mental, emotional, and financial. “It can be something that is committed or something that is omitted.”

Nursing home facilities are licensed agencies. Suspected neglect can be reported to the Area Agency on Aging in every county, Croyle said. “The best protection for loved ones in a nursing home comes from regular visits from family or friends. Also, there is a way to compare nursing homes online via Medicare Compare, which rates nursing homes,” she noted.

Home care can typically cost $30 to $40 per hour. It used to be $20 to $35 an hour. Nursing homes typically cost $12,000 each month, she added.

“Everything has gone up due to increased costs of staff, supplies, and insurance,” Croyle said on Thursday.

“I work with older adults because they need and deserve excellent care and support,” she said. “I want to help provide for them, what I hope will be provided for me as I continue to age.”

Court, state resources

Pennsylvania has the fifth largest number of older adults, with 3.4 million people 60 or older. One-in-four Pennsylvanians is 60 or older. By 2030, that number will increase to one-in-three people, according to a state official.

In the Commonwealth, 400,000 people depend on homecare assistance where they live, according to the Pennsylvania Homecare Association. There are 2.4 million unpaid family caregivers across the state.

To report signs of abuse, call the Chester County Department of Aging at 800-564-7000 or the District Attorney’s office.

The statewide Elder Abuse Helpline is 1-800-490-8505. This confidential line is open 24-7, 365 days a year.

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging front desk phone number is 717-783-1550. For information, visit www.pa.gov/aging.

The Pennsylvania Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman phone number is 717-783-8975. The statewide team of Ombudsmen looks out for our nursing home residents and their quality of life.

The PA Link phone number is 1-800-753-8827, which provides person-centered counselors to help individuals with disabilities and seniors find information that will connect them to supports and services in their community. 

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Elder abuse leads to guilty pleas for husband, daughter in death of Bonnie Nightingale, 71