密歇根新闻广播 脑膜炎引发的犯罪

The preliminary hearing for Barry Cadden and Glenn Chin begins today in district court in Livingston County. The two men are accused of second-degree murder for their roles in a 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak caused by tainted¹ medications that killed dozens of people across the country, including 23 in Michigan.

Michigan Radio's Kate Wells joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to preview the hearing. She recently reported on the new prosecutions² in Michigan and the background of the case. That story appears below.

Two men facing murder charges related to the 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak are currently in a Livingston County jail, awaiting their preliminary hearing next week, a court administrator³ said Tuesday.

Barry Cadden and Glenn Chin both face 11 counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Michigan residents Donna Kuzinch, Paula Brent, Lyn Lapierriere, Sally Roe⁴, Mary Pletti, Gayle Gibson, Patricia Malafouris, Emma Todd, Jennie Barth, Ruth Madhouse, and Karina Baxter.

All 11 victims received tainted steroid medications made by the New England Compounding Center, which Cadden owned and where Chin was a supervising pharmacist. NECC shipped the deadly medications to clinics around the country, resulting in at least 64 deaths and 753 illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state Attorney General's office says 23 of those deaths were in Michigan. Federal prosecutors⁵ describe it as the largest public health crisis ever caused by a pharmaceutical⁶ product.

The same prosecutors say Cadden directed NECC employees to assure customers that they were getting safe drugs, while Cadden ignored grave environmental failures, used expired active ingredients, and took innumerable other production shortcuts⁷ that led to numerous, entirely⁸ preventable deaths.

Chin, meanwhile, allegedly manufactured massive amounts of the contaminated medication, known as preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate or MPA. It was often injected directly into people's spinal⁹ areas to treat chronic¹⁰ pain issues. According to federal prosecutors, Chin deliberately¹¹ skipping sterilizations and improperly¹² testing the vials of medication in order to make them appear safe for patients.

During the fungal meningitis outbreak, the CDC identified 18 different types of fungi¹³ from MPA vials and patient samples, officials said last year. In the words of one public health official, NECC was a fungal zoo.

Juries in Massacusetts convicted Cadden and Chin on related charges involving racketeering, conspiracy¹⁴ and fraud. Chin received eight years, while Cadden received nine. The same juries, however, acquitted¹⁵ both men on second degree murder charges in those trials.

Then, in December, the Michigan Attorney General's office charged Cadden and Chin with second-degree murder related to the Michigan deaths. Both men face up to life in prison. They'll have a preliminary exam in Livingston County next week, where a district judge will decide whether there's enough evidence to send the case to trial.

Reached for comment, Chin's Michigan attorney, James Buttrey, said he had received the state's complaint against his client, and that he had been appointed to represent Chin by the court. The state Attorney General's office says Cadden is being represented by two attorneys with the Miller¹⁶ Canfield firm. Neither attorney was immediately available for comment.

1 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 prosecutions   

起诉( prosecution的名词复数 )； 原告； 实施； 从事

参考例句：

• It is the duty of the Attorney-General to institute prosecutions. 检察总长负责提起公诉。
• Since World War II, the government has been active in its antitrust prosecutions. 第二次世界大战以来，政府积极地进行着反对托拉斯的检举活动。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

3 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

4 roe   

n.鱼卵；獐鹿

参考例句：

• We will serve smoked cod's roe at the dinner.宴会上我们将上一道熏鳕鱼子。
• I'll scramble some eggs with roe?我用鱼籽炒几个鸡蛋好吗？

5 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

6 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

7 shortcuts   

n.捷径( shortcut的名词复数 )；近路；快捷办法；被切短的东西（尤指烟草）

参考例句：

• In other words, experts want shortcuts to everything. 换句话说，专家需要所有的快捷方式。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Offer shortcuts from the Help menu. 在帮助菜单中提供快捷方式。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

8 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

9 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

10 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

11 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

12 improperly   

不正确地，不适当地

参考例句：

• Of course it was acting improperly. 这样做就是不对嘛！
• He is trying to improperly influence a witness. 他在试图误导证人。

13 fungi   

n.真菌，霉菌

参考例句：

• Students practice to apply the study of genetics to multicellular plants and fungi.学生们练习把基因学应用到多细胞植物和真菌中。
• The lawn was covered with fungi.草地上到处都是蘑菇。

14 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

15 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

16 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。