David Kwiatkowski, the former Exeter Hospital worker charged with starting a disastrous hepatitis C outbreak, will be sentenced Monday.
Kwiatkowski, 34, agreed to a plea deal that includes a prison sentence between 30 and 40 years. He will be sentenced in federal court.
Prosecutors said Kwiatkowski, who has hepatitis C, shot himself up with patients' medication to get high. He then replaced syringes with saline to make them appear untouched. Those tainted syringes were then used on unsuspecting patients. Thirty-two Exeter Hospital patients were infected with hepatitis C, a potentially deadly liver disease.
"It was all me," Kwiatkowski told authorities. "I'm killing a lot of people."
One of the 32 victims also spread the disease to a spouse through sexual contact, prosecutors said.
Kwiatkowski, who grew up in Michigan, was a "traveler," a medical technician who worked at hospitals across the country. In addition to the Exeter victims, authorities said he likely infected more than dozen other patients. A patient in Kansas died after contracting hepatitis C from Kwiatkowski, prosecutors said.
Kwiatkowski's plea deal also includes a promise that he will not be charged with more crimes related to the outbreak in other states.
U.S. Attorney John Kacavas called Kwiatkowski a "serial infector."
Kwiatkowski said little during his plea hearing. He told the judge he has a history of addiction to opiates, cocaine, and alcohol. He also said he suffers from depression and has been taking lithium to deal with it.
Read court documents laying out the case against Kwiatkowski.
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