True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

(Linda Kurle & The Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital. Picture credits: Chicago Tribune)

As you know I have written about killer nurses in the past (Lucy Letby & Beverley Allitt)  as well as the shocking crimes of Doctors Harold Shipman and Josef Mengele who have abused their position and harmed or murdered innocent patients in their care. It's a frightening thought to know that the stories I have written about involving these individuals are just a tiny speck on a huge number of cases which are still going on to this day. We used to be able to say that whilst in hospital you were considered to be in the best place, it was seen as safe, clean and staffed by qualified medical professionals that only had your best interests at heart. We used to be able to say that you could 100% trust your Doctor but in this day and age with numerous mistakes being made, patients concerns being ignored, corner cutting and unexplained deaths, you really do have to think twice. 

So back in 1980 in Chicago, Illinois, USA, a shocking story briefly hit the headlines involving a 24 year old nurse by the name of Linda Kurle. Apparently Linda, who had been working her usual 11pm to 7am nightshifts at The Good Samaritan hospital was being suspended due to an investigation into two unexplained deaths of elderly female patients who had primarily been in her care. The two patients had been in hospital for routine surgery (one of the patients was in hospital for a hip operation) but suddenly died due to lapsing into a insulin induced coma. The two women had been perfectly fine previously so their deaths became a mystery and shock to the staff of the hospital. Linda was in charge of 12 patients on that particular ward and was the one who had apparently found both of these patients not responding and raised the alarm. According to Linda, she had done everything she possibly could to keep both of these women alive. 

Both of the women had undergone autopsies which revealed that both of them had died through heavy doses of insulin. After the autopsies the remains were released to the families for cremation. Linda Kurle was suspended by the hospital who continued on with their investigation into the unexplained deaths. Linda contacted a lawyer and got the press involved declaring that she was innocent and had been targeted by the hospital. Her argument was that the insulin had been kept in a room which anyone could have had access to as it was always open and was situated right next to a public elevator. Her lawyer also argued the fact that the hospital was not questioning everyone who had access to that room, the focus was purely on Linda.

A hearing about Linda's suspension was held and she turned up with her lawyer and an army of friends who were prepared to provide a positive character reference for Linda. She had also alerted the media. The hospital forbid the press to attend but interviews with Linda and her lawyer as well as the attorney representing the hospital were conducted outside. The hearing only lasted 20 minutes but Linda was provided with a two-page document which contained the concerns that the hospital had in regards to her conduct during her shifts. Linda was in tears and again declared that she was innocent and even offered to take a polygraph (lie detector) test. 

The shocking story did make the nightly news and the public were waiting to hear what the final decision was going to be in regards to Linda's possible guilt, innocence and her career as a nurse. The hospital board were set to make a decision within days of what manner in they wished to proceed. It ended up with Linda being fired from her position but because the deaths could not be proven to be her responsibility they still let her go. The hospital still believed the deaths to be highly suspicious and unexplained but they could not prove that Linda was 100% responsible although they did suspect her. Nobody else was ever questioned. 

Not one to take the news of her nursing career at the age of 24 being over, Linda pressed forward and took the hospital to court to fight for her nursing reputation, employment and financial damages. She claimed that her life and professional career had been ruined and that she'd been made a scapegoat. 

In a surprise turn of events due to lack of evidence which could 100% prove that Linda had been the person who had administered the insulin to the patients, the court decided that the hospital give Linda back her nursing position as well as money owed and financial compensation for distress caused. 

The story quickly vanished from the media which is quite interesting because if it had occurred today, I think that members of the public and the media would be interested in getting to the bottom of it all. We have seen with the likes of Dr Harold Shipman, with his patients who had routine ailments mysteriously passing away out of the blue but those relatives of those victims and members of the public would not let it lie despite the victims being of a certain age. I could be wrong but it seems like because the two patients in the Good Samaritan Hospital case were elderly women and it occurred in 1980, there seemed to be an attitude of just letting the case dwindle away. You'd think that the hospital would continue their investigations into everyone who worked there, not just Linda. At the end of the day the hospital was left with a bad reputation as well as being dragged through the court in front of the media by Linda, you'd think they'd want to get to the bottom of the unexplained deaths. To not only bring some sort of closure to the patient's families but to help repair their image to the public. 

Linda returned to her position as a nurse at the hospital which is quite baffling to me for a number of reasons. One being that she was allowed to return (by order of the court not by the hospital wanting her back) to her position despite the fact that it was not known if she had been responsible for the deaths. Two that she would even return to a place where everyone suspected her of being a murderer basically. In this situation I think that if there's any doubt (obviously with some sort of evidence) about someone's conduct in that position with vulnerable people, I think that chances should not be taken. 

After Linda's return no other incidences were reported but was Linda 100% innocent all along or was it the case that she was guilty and knew that all eyes were on her, so if anything was to happen she knew they'd look to her first? 

The unexplained deaths of Ellen O'Hara and Vivian Brown were never solved, nobody was brought to justice and their families were left with unanswered questions. Linda continued on with her career and reportedly passed away at the age of 35 in 1991 taking any possible secrets to the grave. This case was over 43 years ago and the people that were working in the hospital at the time are probably no longer with us or at least in their late 60s if they were around the same age as Linda. 

The Good Samaritan Hospital still exists to this day but goes by the name of Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital. Linda having passed away at the young age of 35 one wonders if it was illness related or had she taken her own life? I couldn't find any information except for a death notice. If Linda was indeed innocent, it's a very sad end to a very tragic story. To be accused of murder at the age of 24 then passing away not that long after at the young age of 35 the ordeal of being falsely accused and no doubt suffering PTSD afterwards as a result for the rest of those years, one hopes that she did find some peace towards the end. On the other hand, if she was guilty, it is still tragic and questions remain why did she do it? was it an error in judgement or a deliberate act? 

What would you have done in that situation if you had been accused of something you hadn't done? Would you have given up your nursing career? This is a case that leaves a lot of unanswered questions which in my opinion we'll never know the answers to. Too much time has passed, no evidence was saved and unless someone has a death-bed confession we may never know. 

I think about the families of the deceased women and hope they were able to find some sort of peace despite everything. 

RIP Ellen and Vivian 

I feel that I should say RIP also to Linda because even I am not psychic and cannot say whether she was or was not guilty. 

The story of what happened at that hospital back in 1980 has long been forgotten I'm sorry to say. It's popped up on my blog now in 2024 and it may inspire others to look for answers or cover the story but it's one of those cases that has been lost in the sands of time and it really is a tragedy no matter how old the victims were. There's also the thought that if Linda was innocent, someone spent all of those years allowing her to suffer and have her reputation as a nurse called into question. If that is the truth of the matter, I hope that karma has come back around for that person. 

Further reading & sources: 

- Linda Kurle: Article | Chicago Tribune

- Kurle Courtcase | Case Text

- Hinsdale High School Yearbook

- The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes | Book by Michael Newton

- Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital

- Linda Kurle | News Report 

Thank you as always for joining me in my latest true crime post, I hope that you found it interesting and informative. please let me know your thoughts below, by email (jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com) or on my Socials. 

See you next time and stay safe x 

So this case which I'm focusing on in this post took place in the early 90s and was only solved in recent times thanks to DNA technology. The murders of two beautiful young women just 10 months apart in Phoenix, Arizona in the timeline of 1992 and 1993 had shocked and horrified anyone who had watched the news and read the papers. Angela Brosso was just about to turn 22 years old the very next day when she decided that she would take her usual bike ride along the beautiful scenic route by Cave Creek Park the night before. This activity was a regular occurrence for Angela but she always had her boyfriend with her. On this rare occasion her boyfriend decided to stay home and continue planning her birthday celebrations as well as making her a cake. Obviously a young woman going for a bike ride late at night would concern a lot of people but because it was a regular routine and there had been times in the past where she'd been on her own and all was fine, she must have thought that this time would be ok too. 

Unfortunately this time, Angela did not return home and panic set in. She was reported missing but the reality of what had happened was quickly apparent. Someone had cruelly murdered Angela in the most gruesome and cold-blooded way. Her remains had been found within hours on the day of her birthday, she had been decapitated and disemboweled, it was a crime scene so sickening that investigators believed the murder to be the work of a serial killer. Whoever murdered Angela had obviously been lying in wait and could possibly have been watching her and her boyfriend cycling previously so knew her routine. The murder looked like that of a fast, frenzied, aggressive attack with a sharp, ragged object. When Angela's remains were originally found, her head was missing. Her head was later found on the 20th of November, nearly two weeks later. With no clue as to who was responsible, the investigators tried to work with the evidence that they had but DNA techniques were still in their infancy at that point. The case remained opened.

Just 10 months after Angela's gruesome murder, a 17 year old girl by the name of Melanie Bernas had been found murdered at the same location where Angela's head at been found. Melanie had not been disemboweled or decapitated like Angela but both had been sexually assaulted before they were murdered or after the fact. Melanie had also had the letters WSC carved into her chest by the unknown killer. DNA evidence found at the scene connected both murders to the same culprit. Both girls had been out riding their bikes at the beauty spot near the Arizona Canal when they were attacked and murdered, the media dubbed the killings ''The Canal Murders''. Both of the bikes have never been found but the DNA collected was kept on file and later entered into the national database. 

As I mentioned before, investigators believed the murders of both Angela and Melanie to be the actions of an unidentified serial killer. The evidence collected together with the perpetrator's DNA sample was kept on file and on the database but for decades there was no match. 

For years the case went unsolved but a big break came in 2015 when investigators discovered a match on the national database. A man named Bryan Patrick Miller came to their attention and he was promptly brought in for questioning and later charged. All of the DNA evidence matched up to him and it turned out that Bryan had quite the background of violence towards women. During his trial (which took years to get up and running due to a series of delays, especially with the covid pandemic) details emerged of his difficult and abusive childhood, he had an addiction to violent porn and BDSM. At the time of the murders (of which he was just 20 years old at the time of the killings) he had been fantasizing bout abducting, sexually assaulting and mutilating women and had written about his fantasies. In later years he went on to marry and have a daughter. 

During his trial his lawyer tried to plead his case trying to gain some sympathy for his client who was clearly a sexual sadist. They were trying to paint him as an abuse survivor who wasn't in his correct frame of mind at the time of the killings due to severe PTSD. Looking at the evidence presented and the gruesome reality of the crimes, it was clear that he had planned these murders and had written about violent fantasies involving sexually assaulting and murdering women since his teens. It was clear he had been a ticking time bomb. The fact he was able to just move on with his life after the murders and start a family shows just how callous he was. He continued on with his life whilst the families and friends of Angela and Melanie suffered. One wonders what it must have been like for Angela's boyfriend who must have felt a huge amount of guilt (even though he wasn't to have known what would happen that night) as well as devastation at what had happened. 

After decades Bryan Patrick Miller was finally found guilty and was given two death sentences. As the murders of Angela and Melanie occurred when he was 20 years old and he wasn't caught until 2015 one wonders if he was connected to any other murders. Some investigators believe he could have started killing in his teen years. Investigators are still looking into other cases that he may have been responsible for. 

I know this was a difficult post to get through and I appreciate that you have made it this far. 

RIP to Angela, Melanie and to any other unknown victims of Bryan Patrick Miller. 

Further Reading & Sources:

- Bryan Patrick Miller: Article | AZ Central

- Angela & Melanie: Article | The Sun

- The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes | Book by Michael Newton

- Bryan Patrick Miller: Article | The Mirror

- Bryan Patrick Miller: Article | AZ Central

- Bryan Patrick Miller: Article | CBS News

- Angela & Melanie: Article | The US Sun

Thank you for taking the time to read my latest case and I hope that you will join me next time. In the meanwhile I hope to see you on my socials. Take care and stay safe x 

(From left: Sultan Shareef. Middle: Kania Brunson. Right: Johnny Hopgood Jr. Photo credits: hollywoodunlocked)

*Please be aware that I will be sharing some disturbing details in this post which involve murder and the desecration of remains. I will, as always try to be as sensitive as I can be whilst stating the facts of the case*

In my final instalment of The Sugarbaby Murders series, I wanted to briefly share this shocking case which took place quite recently in Milwaukee, a city in the USA in September of 2022. 20 year old Kania Brunson was a beautiful young woman from a close family who was just about to attend college and work on her future dreams. Kania was a bright young woman who was still trying to decide which field of work she wanted to do, she was always interested in cosmetology but she also had thoughts of the possibility of a career as a dentist or veterinarian. Popular with friends and loved by those that knew her, the world was pretty much her oyster and she was excited to see what the future held. 

Like a lot of students, she struggled financially but tried not to let financial worries get her down. For a young woman who seemed to have a bright future ahead and appeared to take any troubles in her stride, nobody knew the other side of Kania's life until those potential dreams and years were cruelly stolen from her. 

For Kania's personal life was troubled. As a naive teenager she had gotten involved with a man in his 50s who promised her the world and when times were financially tough, she found herself becoming more involved with him. The man she was involved with was already married and had a lengthy criminal record behind him. He may have had the money but it was clear where he had gotten that money from, illegal activities and by the time Kania was starting college, she had already become financially dependent on him. 

Sultan Shareef not only had a bad past as a drug dealer but he'd spent years in and out of prison in the 1990s and it was clear that even though he was no longer behind bars, he was still up to his old activities. The pair had been having a toxic relationship for years and when Sultan decided that he'd had enough of the relationship and helping Kania, the situation got worse. 

Kania had pleaded with him to continue to help her financially especially as she was going to college but he refused. In an act of revenge, Kania decided to contact Sultan's wife and told her everything that had been going on between them. When Sultan found out he was full of rage and tried to cover things up with his wife and then set about looking for Kania. 

When Sultan finally caught up with Kania, he decided to silence her for good in the most evil way. The poor girl (as naive as she was she didn't deserve what ended up happening to her) had been tied up with wire, shot, stabbed to death and (with the help of his brother in law) her body was burned in a recycling bin. Her remains were then dumped in an alleyway. Kania had to be identified by her dental records. 

It wasn't long before the police knew who was responsible and Sultan and his brother in law were arrested. 

Sultan denied killing Kania but the evidence against him was overwhelming. His brother in law (Johnny Hopgood Jr) who helped burn Kania's body, was given a plea deal if he gave up the full details of what happened. He was classed as having 'time served' and put on a 10 year probation order. In other words, he pretty much got away with his part in the gruesome act.

Sultan Shareef was sentenced to life in prison, he tried to appeal his sentence claiming that he was an innocent man but his appeal was rejected. 

What happened to Kania was a cruel and cold hearted, selfish act that saw the promising future of a bright, young woman just wiped out and what for? a selfish career criminal who wasn't happy that more of his lies had been exposed? Kania was 20 years old and he was in his mid 50s, he'd been having an inappropriate relationship with her since she was a teenager. He had somehow manipulated her into thinking that she needed him in her life, especially financially. The situation was indeed very toxic and Kania should never have been involved with him but she didn't deserve to lose her life and to have been treated in such a horrific and disrespectful way. He was the adult and he was married, he should have known better but he obviously was never one to be told what to do or have respect for others since he made his illegal living off the back of the vulnerability of others. 

My heart goes out to Kania's family and to Kania herself who (it is clear to see) has left a lasting effect on this world to those who knew her for all of her amazing qualities. 

We all make mistakes when we are young, we've all maybe had relationships we shouldn't have entered into. Nobody is a saint and we don't know the full story of what went on between Kania and Sultan. It's a sad and heartbreaking story but again, a cautionary tale, to be careful of who we trust. 

''If I go to hell,...I'll see you there.'' - Shawnte Brunson (what Kania's father shouted to Sultan in the courtroom).

RIP Kania, your beautiful smile and the memories that you have left will never be forgotten. 

Further reading & sources: 

- Kania Brunson: Article | Milwaukee Journal Sentinal

- Kania Brunson: Article | CBS 58 News

- Kania Brunson: Article | WISN

- Kania Brunson: Article | Hollywood Unlocked 

- Milwaukee | Wikipedia

Thank you for joining me in this final part of The Sugarbaby Murders series, I hope that you found this series informative and interesting as tragic and heartbreaking as the cases were. My heart goes out to all of the victims and their families who I have written about briefly in this series. 

I will be back next time with a new case, at the moment I am not sure which that will be but I will be checking out my list of cases that I have not covered. As always, I welcome your requests or any comments either below, on my socials  or by email at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com 

Take care and I'll (hopefully) see you in the next post x