MURDER TRIAL DAY 8: Daughter of alleged Davis victim says father now requires care for everyday things

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - 4:33 p.m. - The defense questioned Kelley.

The defense asked if she implied that Davis was who put the syringe there. She says she wasn’t implying that.

Hayes said she told police that the syringe had been there since the beginning of her shift. She said she does not recall saying that. Then agrees she said it after seeing the police report.

Kelley was asked if it was common for patients to come from recovery with a syringe in the arterial line. She said It could happen.

4:17 p.m. - Natalie Kelley, a RN, takes the stand.

She said post operation, Serrano able to talk with her, take medicine, move his head and arms and legs and could take pills.

She said she checked on him at 7 p.m. and he was within limits of normal.

She said he did not need any care beyond what is normal or expected for a patient after surgery. She was caring for 2-3 patients. She typically went into rooms every 1-2 hours at night to be sure at night that they were not up all the time. She said she would have made sure line had been flushed and secure, clean, dry and intact.

On the night of the 17th, she said nothing unusual was happening the night she was taking care of Serrano. She gave pain meds and he ate an apple. She said later in her shift, she would come check on him. Then when she left the room, she heard William Davis calling out to Serrano and he was in the room with her patient.

Davis was in Serrano room and she was at the medication machine. Davis’ rooms were on the other side of unit.

She said she responded and the patient had deteriorated. He wasn’t awake or responding. She called the charge nurse to take care of Serrano. They had to intubate and sedate him. His arterial lines looked high.

Davis told her to remove a syringe from the arterial line and cap it. She said she was thinking he was an experienced nurse and so much had happened since the beginning of her shift, that she did what an experienced nurse told me to do.

2:05 p.m. - Kayla Serrano, the daughter of Jesus Serrano, took the stand.

She said she spoke with him after his surgery. He was doing well. She said her mom got a call in the middle of the night to go to the hospital.

“It was just like a blur. They’re just like, your dad’s in a coma and I was like what? Why is he, I didn’t understand,” Kayla said.

The family was told he would likely not survive, but Serrano said her father woke up after having a seizure.

Jesus went back home after going to rehab practices. He had no memory when he woke up and didn’t know who his daughter was.

“He is nothing what he used to be,” Kayla Serrano said.

She said he requires care for many everyday things such as cooking, cleaning, and using the restroom.

12:03 p.m. - On Jan. 26, 2018, Turner saw the video of William Davis entering Kalina’s room.

He says Davis was suspended after Kalina’s sudden crash.

On Oct. 16, 2017, Jesus Serrano underwent heart surgery. Serrano’s surgery was an emergency procedure. Dr. Turner was the surgeon.

Turner said the surgery went “very well.” However, he said he got a call in the early morning hours of the 17th that Serrano had crashed.

Turner said Serrano survived the stroke, but is “severely, profoundly injured.” Dr. Turner operated on Lafferty, Greenaway, Serrano, and Kalina.

The Defense began the questioning of Turner. They asked Dr. Turner about the possibility or likelihood of strokes following surgery.

10:51 a.m. - Dr. William Turner, a heart surgeon at CHRISTUS, took the stand.

Testimony began with questioning regarding Chris Greenaway, who Turner operated on. Turner said Greenaway’s surgery was a success. Turner says Greenaway’s ability to talk with family after surgery ruled out the possibility of air getting into his brain during surgery.

Turner said he was “furious” about Greenaway’s outcome.

“I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it [air] was introduced through a radial art line,” Dr. Turner said.

Turner says new security cameras were installed “late holiday season” of 2017.

9:54 a.m. - The Defense questioned Dr. Krog about Lafferty’s comorbidities. Defense attorney Phillip Hayes says Lafferty had diabetes, was a former smoker, and a family history of coronary artery disease.

Krog said even so, Lafferty’s surgery was reported to have gone well.

Testimony continued Thursday in the trial of a former East Texas nurse accused of killing patients during his time working at a Tyler heart hospital.

William Davis, 37, of Hallsville, is accused of injecting air into the arterial lines of patients at a Tyler heart hospital. Davis was arrested in April 2018.

Steve Lafferty, the son of alleged Davis victim John Lafferty, took the stand Thursday.

Lafferty said his father had moved to Wood County and planned to work as a farmer. He said his dad had a heart attack and needed surgery. The surgery took place on Friday, June 16, 2017.

The family got a call early Saturday morning that something was wrong, there were complications. Lafferty died on June 25, 2017.

Dr. Benjamin Krog, an anesthesiologist at CHRISTUS, took the stand.

Krog said there was no signs of hypertension during Lafferty’s surgery, his blood pressure was in a safe range. Krog also said there was no sign of brain damage sustained during surgery.