Nurse accused of killing 8 seniors appears in Woodstock, Ont., court

The case of a former nurse accused of killing eight seniors at two long-term care homes in southwestern Ontario has been put over to Jan. 13.

Elizabeth Wettlaufer is charged with eight counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of residents at nursing homes in Woodstock, Ont., and London, Ont.

Police allege Wettlaufer used drugs to kill the seniors while she worked at the facilities between 2007 and 2014.

Her alleged victims have been identified as James Silcox, 84, Maurice Granat, 84, Gladys Millard, 87, Helen Matheson, 95, Mary Zurawinski, 96, Helen Young, 90, Maureen Pickering, 79, and Arpad Horvath, 75.

Records from the College of Nurses of Ontario show Wettlaufer was first registered as a nurse in August 1995 but resigned Sept. 30, 2016, and is no longer a registered nurse.

Wettlaufer, who appeared via video link for a brief court hearing in Woodstock on Friday, is expected to attend her next court session in person.

Victims' families appear in court

Andrea Silcox, whose father is the first alleged victim and died in Aug. 7, said hearing when the former nurse would be in court made her hopeful.

"It almost feels like progress a little more than we expected," she said. "For her to actually show up already? Maybe they're going to cut to the chase and say, 'You know what? Let's not take the whole world through this for years to come. Let's get this over it.'"