Night nurse granted bond in elder-abuse death case; prosecutor said condition 'ignored'

by Bill Atkinson

COLONIAL HEIGHTS – The night nurse who prosecutors said was “the last hands” on a nursing-home patient before she became ill and died was granted bond Tuesday morning and told to stay away completely from nursing care, the nursing home or any of the other 17 defendants in the case. 

Shakima Freeman Brewer, of Richmond, is one of four defendants jailed on the most serious of all charges, abuse of a vulnerable adult resulting in death, and the second of them to be granted bond. General District Judge Matthew Nelson set the unsecured bond at $5,000 and ordered Brewer to take part in pre-trial services including alcohol and drug screening. 

As of publication time, online court records indicated Brewer had not yet been released from Riverside Regional Jail in Prince George County. She was not physically in court but took part in the hearing via teleconference from the jail.

The victim was a 74-year-old resident of Colonial Heights Rehabilitation & Nursing Center who suffered from cerebral palsy and diabetes. In late September, she was taken to Bon Secours Southside Medical Center in Petersburg with necrotic pressure ulcers – also known as bedsores – around her vaginal area that doctors determined were caused by prolonged exposure to urine and feces that the center staff failed to clean. In October, she died of sepsis due to the bedsores. 

After an investigation, Colonial Heights Police, joined by the state’s Elder Abuse Task Force, raided the Ellerslie Avenue facility on Dec. 18. Eighteen people, including the center’s director, the head of nursing and another care provider, were arrested on various charges of abuse, neglect, falsifying records and obstructing the legal process. 

Prosecutor: Brewer covered up condition 

In court Tuesday morning, deputy commonwealth’s attorney Noelle Nochisaki told the judge that Brewer was the last nurse to tend to the victim before she was taken to the hospital. “She was the last hands on the case,” she said. 

That night, the victim was unresponsive and lethargic, yet Brewer told the nurse who relieved her that “she is doing great,” and there were no issues. 

“Then the day nurse came in and saw something was wrong,” Nochisaki said. At that point, the woman was taken to SMC where the bedsores were detected. She later underwent surgery to remove most of her vagina.

Nochisaki said the victim’s wounds were so grotesque that “doctors first thought it was violent sexual assault due to the trauma and bruising of the area.” 

Nochisaki said that because of her cerebral palsy, the victim was unable to move herself and was supposed to be lifted from her bed to a chair by a special machine. However, an investigation found that the machine was never used, and the only time the victim was removed from her bed, it was done by two orderlies who broke her foot in the process. 

After the surgery, the victim was put into home-hospice care, something Nochisaki said would not have been needed “had it not been for these wounds.” 

In addition to the abuse – a felony – Brewer was charged with five counts of falsifying patient records. Nochisaki said those records were falsified to cover up the repeated neglect. 

“She ignored it,” Nochisaki told Nelson, adding that the stench from the affected area was “overwhelming” and easily recognized. 

A previous felony conviction 

In making the case for her bond, defense attorney Edward Nickel noted that Brewer had a previous felony conviction on her record – driving under the influence in 2016 – but she adhered to all conditions surrounding that conviction and had not been arrested until Dec. 18 at the nursing home. 

Nickel also said there was “some dispute over what her specific role was” in the care of the victim. Since overnight staff is smaller than a regular day shift, Brewer was often responsible for as many as 60 patients at a time. 

The defense counsel did not question the severity of the allegations. But Nickel said circumstances in this case were different because “they did not reflect any specific violence.” 

Nickel said Brewer was not a flight risk and added she intended to remain at her Richmond home with her two sons, ages 22 and 14. 

Brewer’s mother, father, and oldest son sat silently in the courtroom during the 20-minute hearing. 

Two more remain jailed 

When Brewer is released, that will make Shawanda Jeter, the center’s director, and Danielle Cline Harris, another nurse at the center, the only two defendants remaining in custody. Kamesha Michelle Kittrell, a nursing supervisor at the center, was granted bond Dec. 30. 

The remaining 14 defendants were all released on bond or recognizance on charges of either falsifying records or obstructing the legal process. 

Every defendant is due back in court March 26 for preliminary hearings.

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Night nurse granted bond in elder-abuse death case; prosecutor said condition 'ignored'

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