The Good Nurse true story: What happened to Charles Cullen? Did he go to jail?

We’re only a day away from Netflix’s The Good Nurse. The thriller film is based on the gripping true story of Amy Loughren, the caring nurse who helped put a stop to the killing spree of serial killer, Charles Cullen. If you’re like us, you might be wondering where Charles Cullen is today. That’s no problem! We’ve done the research and will share with you his whereabouts below.

Charles Cullen grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, and had a difficult childhood. His schoolmates constantly bullied him, both of his parents died, and he suffered from depression. Following his parents’ deaths, Charles even attempted suicide several times.

After his mother died, he dropped out of high school and joined the Navy. There, he would suffer hazing and bullying by his fellow crew members. While serving in the Navy, he also tried to commit suicide multiple times and was sent to the Navy psychiatric ward. In 1984, he received a medical discharge from the Navy, and then shortly after, enrolled as a student at Mountainside Hospital’s nursing school. After graduating in 1986, he started working in the burn unit at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. This is when his murderous spree would begin.

He would then hop from hospital to hospital over the course of 16 years, murdering hospital patients by injecting their IV bags with lethal doses of various medications such as insulin, epinephrine, and digoxin. It wasn’t until December 2003 that Charles was finally caught.

So, where is Charles in 2022? Here’s what we know.

The Good Nurse true story: Did Charles Cullen go to jail?

Yes. According to CNN, Charles was arrested on Dec. 12, 2003, while at a restaurant with Amy Loughren. After Amy agreed to help the police catch Charles, she was told by the police to meet up with him while wearing a wire. She secretly recorded their conversation while the police listened outside in the parking lot. The goal was to get Charles to confess to his crimes. Even though he didn’t end up confessing, there was enough evidence from the recording to arrest him.

Once he’s brought to the police station, Amy is able to convince Charles to admit to his crimes. Following his confession, he was convicted of murdering 29 patients and was sentenced to 11 consecutive life sentences in 2006.

Although he told the police that he had murdered as many as 40 people over his 16-year career as a nurse, he was only found guilty of 29 murders because that’s all that could be confirmed. However, experts believe that Charles may have murdered up to 400 patients, but there’s not enough evidence to prove this claim. Sadly, we may never know how many people Charles actually killed unless he gives a confession.

Is Charles Cullen still alive?

Yes, Charles is still alive. Since he agreed to a plea deal,  he didn’t have to worry about the death penalty. As of Oct. 25, he’s serving 18 consecutive life terms in New Jersey State Prison.

The Good Nurse starring Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne lands on Netflix on Oct. 26.