Two Illinois EMS workers have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of a 35-year-old patient in their care, authorities announced in a press release Tuesday.
Peter Cadigan, 50, and Peggy Finley, 44, who were emergency medical workers for LifeStar, were charged with first-degree murder after the death of Earl L. Moore Jr, 35, on Dec. 18, 2022, Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright said Tuesday.
Investigators said Cadigan and Finley incorrectly placed Moore face-down on a stretcher with a medical strap across his back while transporting him to the hospital. Moore then died from compressional and positional asphyxia shortly after arriving at the hospital.
According to authorities, police officers had initially responded to a house in Springfield, Illinois, around 2 a.m. after receiving a call about people inside with firearms.
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Once at the scene, officers then found Moore lying in his bed and “quickly realized that he was in need of medical assistance,” police said. An ambulance was then called and arrived at the home at 2:18 a.m.
Body camera footage shows a female paramedic instructing Moore to walk to the ambulance even though he "was not able to walk and medical personnel were not offering any assistance,” police said.
Three officers then took turns helping Moore through the home before medical personnel placed him on the stretcher in a prone face-down position and secured him prior to transport, body camera footage shows.
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Moore died at the hospital at 3:14 a.m. and his death was classified as a homicide, Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said at the Tuesday news conference.
The attorneys for the pair and LifeStar Ambulance Service did not immediately respond to requests by NBC News for comment. Their next court date is set for Jan. 19.
