For 16 years, Charles Cullen quietly worked as a nurse in hospitals across New Jersey and Pennsylvania — while secretly ending the lives of his patients. By injecting lethal doses of medication into their IV bags, he became one of the most prolific serial killers in modern history, with investigators estimating he may have murdered up to 400 people.
Cullen’s dark path was shaped by a deeply troubled past. His father died before he turned one, and his mother was killed in a car crash while he was still in high school. Two of his siblings also passed away, and Cullen later devoted himself to caring for his brother, who eventually succumbed to cancer.
After dropping out of high school, Cullen joined the U.S. Navy, though his service was short-lived. He later pursued nursing, graduating from the Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1987. Not long after, he married and became a father of two.
But behind the image of a caring nurse was a man spiraling into darkness. In 1993, his wife, Adrienne Taub, filed for divorce, telling authorities she was terrified of him. She claimed Cullen had spiked people’s drinks with lighter fluid and even once called a funeral home to ask about their prices — behavior that left her fearing for her life and the safety of their children.
Cullen’s crimes went undetected for years as he moved from one hospital to another, leaving behind a chilling legacy of trust betrayed and lives lost.
