A nurse in Australia has admitted to murdering 11 elderly people at a nursing home in Sydney.
The nurse, identified as Roger Dean, has pleaded guilty to setting the Quaker Hill Nursing Home on fire in 2011, causing the death of 11 senior citizens who were living at the home where he worked.
According to the Daily Telegraph UK, Dean lit two fires in the nursing home on November 18, 2011, engulfing the whole building and causing deaths and injuries to the elderly. Hours after committing the crime, he went to the media and appeared on TV talking about how he allegedly tried to rescue the trapped elderly people in the home.
On Monday, May 27, the 37-year-old registered nurse finally admitted to the crime in front of the New South Wales State Supreme Court and 12 members of the jury. Appearing in court wearing a black suit, Dean is now facing 11 counts of murder and eight counts of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm to the victims of the fire.
The victims' families packed the public gallery of the Darlinghurst courthouse as the nurse pleaded guilty to the crimes. Tears overflowed in the court room as "they watched a pale Dean stand to admit his guilt over the deadly blaze," reported the Telegraph.
"My perfect scenario was that he would stand up in court and plead guilty to all charges. My prayers were answered," Elly Valkay, daughter of one of the victims, told Telegraph.
Before pleading guilty to the charges, Dean hoped to be tried before a judge instead of a jury, but his attempts were shut down earlier this month.
Last year, he also pleaded not guilty to the charges after he asked to plead guilty to manslaughter instead of murder. The attempts were also declined.
Dean will return to court on Thursday, May 29, to set a date for his sentencing.
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