Netflix's Killer Nurse Movie Has Morristown Medical Ties

MORRISTOWN, NJ — "The Good Nurse," a new Netflix thriller centered on Charles Cullen, one of New Jersey's most well-known serial killers, has an unexpected connection to Morristown Medical Center.

Although the film focuses on Cullen's final murders before he was apprehended, the serial killer known as "The Angel of Death" worked at Morristown Medical Center in the late 1990s.

The movie is based on a book of the same name "The Good Nurse" by Charles Graeber, which chronicles Cullen's murderous career. Following his arrest, Cullen admitted to murdering up to 40 patients during his 16-year nursing career in New Jersey.

However, Cullen is suspected of killing around 400 patients by using lethal doses of insulin and other drugs, according to subsequent interviews with police, psychiatrists and nurses.

Cullen later claimed he killed out of mercy, wanting to relieve the pain and suffering of his victims, who were mostly elderly and very sick. According to a Philadelphia Inquirer report, some of his victims were as young as 21, and others weren't even terminally ill.

According to officials, there is no official record of Cullen killing anyone during his stint at Morristown Medical Center.

In New Jersey, Cullen worked at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Warren Hospital, Hunterdon Medical Center, Morristown Medical Center and finally Somerset Medical Center (now called RWJ University Somerset Hospital) where 13 patients were killed, according to nj.com.

Michael Jackman, a 20-year Westfield resident and successful producer with FilmNation Entertainment, spoke with Patch to discuss the new film.

According to Jackman, one of the film's consultants was the real Amy Loughren, who assisted police in building a case against Cullen when other doctors and hospitals were complicit in his killings.

Read more: Westfield Resident Who Produced 'The Good Nurse' Dishes On New Film

Another significant aspect of the film, according to Jackman, is that all nine hospitals where Cullen worked harbored suspicions but did not take any action against him.

"They gave him letters of recommendation and moved him along [to the next hospital] so that he could kill again," Jackman said. "And they did that to get that out of their liability… And these hospitals lost track of what was the most important thing because they have to make a profit…"

After his arrest in December 2005, Cullen was sentenced to 11 consecutive life sentences in New Jersey and six more life sentences in Pennsylvania in 2006. His parole eligibility date is listed as June 2388, and he is currently 62 years old.