Chappaquiddick on Bayou St. John – New Orleans, La.
Michelle M. Haensel Memorial Web Site
This site was created by Cookie and Bill Haensel. This web site can be viewed at the following links: www.nolamystery.com, www.nolahomicide.com, and www.shellyhaensel.com.
The site is dedicated to our daughter Michelle "Shelly" Haensel, born in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 30, 1969. Shelly was killed in New Orleans, Louisiana by a Louisiana State University Medical School graduating medical student on February 17, 1995. An autopsy was performed by an LSU Medical School operative. The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office reported that Shelly died of asphyxiation in Bayou St. John in New Orleans, Louisiana. The vehicle in which she was a guest passenger travelled along Fredricks Street at 55 MPH until it hit a curb and launched into the shallow bayou and sank rapidly according to eye witnesses. Testimony in the four day criminal trial in New Orleans, Louisiana revealed that the driver of the Red Eagle Talon vehicle, Christopher Cummins Nabors, M.D., D.D.S., Ph.D. (a Pittsburgh, PA. native), offered no assistance to Shelly as he exited the Eagle Talon vehicle' sunroof over his victim. Trial testimony revealed that Mr. Nabors was visible on the water surface above the vehicle immediately after the vehicle submerged. He was rescued from the shallow bayou by New Orleans Police. Testimony also revealed that Mr. Nabors refused to provide New Orleans Police and rescue workers with any information about the vehicle's passenger or location in the shallow Bayou. Testimony did reveal that Mr. Nabors had time and the presence of mind to remove the vehicle’s difficult sunroof, exit the vehicle over his victim, inform eye witnesses and rescue workers that he had to purchase a new car, and that his insurance rates would be going up. After Mr. Nabors was rescued from the Bayou, he was rushed to Charity Hospital (now known as the Medical Center of Louisiana) in New Orleans, Louisiana where he worked as part of his medical training at the LSU Health Science Center. After he arrived at Charity Hospital, he told New Orleans Police officers "I don't know the bitch's name."
Investigations revealed that the Charity Hospital ER doctors were notified that Dr. Nabors was being transported to them long before his arrival. Mr. Nabors was assisted at Charity Hospital by LSU Medical School doctors who worked with him during his training. When Mr. Nabors arrived at Charity Hospital, the EMT's attending to him were ordered out of the ER room by LSU Medical School doctors. Charity Hospital doctors apparently destroyed blood samples sent into the hospital laboratory for drug and blood alcohol testing and tampered with other blood samples extracted for and given to the New Orleans Police Department for blood alcohol testing as evidence. Testimony after the trial by one of the Charity Hospital doctors revealed that a minimum of two (2) IV’s had been placed in Mr. Nabors arm near the location where the blood sample was obtained for the police. The Police blood alcohol test showed 0.04 g/dl.
The autopsy, performed by an LSU Medical School doctor under contract with the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office, was not released until several months after the homicide. According to official records, when the Talon vehicle was removed from Bayou St. John, the EMT's waiting at the scene to help Shelly Haensel were given the do not resuscitate order by an LSU Medical School doctor at Charity Hospital.
The actions which occurred at Bayou St. John, at Charity Hospital, at the LSU School of Medicine, at the LSU School of Dentistry, and at the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office became known to the EMS personnel as "Chappaquiddick on Bayou St. John". The dedicated EMS personnel witnessed first hand the actions of the LSU Medical School doctors handling of Mr. Nabors at Charity Hospital. The Chappaquiddick effect propagated through Charity Hospital, LSU Medical School, the LSU Dental School, and the Coroner's Office.
Mr. Nabors
pleaded not guilty and did not testify at his criminal trial. After a long four
(4) day trial, he was
convicted on November 30, 1995.
Mr. Nabors
was incarcerated on December
5, 1995, five days after his conviction. He did not make
any statements until February 15, 1996, sentencing day, 363 days after the homicide and after he
was in jail for 73 days.
Mr. Nabors
stated at sentencing that he was a
lifelong practicing alcoholic (page 35 of the Sentencing transcript), had been drinking for many hours before the
homicide, was drunk at the time of the homicide, and implied that he must have
been in an alcoholic blackout at the time he launched his vehicle into the
bayou. Even though claiming to be in an
alcoholic blackout,
Mr. Nabors
miraculously recalled a few unconfirmed exculpatory actions none of which
were observed by eye witnesses who observed his vehicle vault through the air
or by the New Orleans Police officers who were on the scene and rescued him immediately after
his
car entered Bayou St. John.
According
to notarized documents submitted to
the court one month after
sentencing
by LSU Medical School doctor, Martha Brown, she stated it was widely known by the LSU Medical/Dental
Schools
leadership long
before the homicide that Mr. Nabors was a practicing alcoholic. If Dr. Brown
could diagnose this condition in her cursory, brief investigation then the
LSU Medical/Dental
Schools leadership
having over six (6) years of observation of Mr. Nabors could have and should
have diagnosed and addressed this condition.
Their disregard of Mr. Nabors alcoholic
behavior was in defiance to requirements in the LSU Medical School/Dental
School/Medical Center school bulletin and policy and procedures manual which in
that era mandated treatment for substance abuse. Because
these institutions were aware of Mr. Nabors alcoholic
issues, he
should have been required to enter into a medical school recovery program known
as the Phoenix Society or be removed from the teaching program in accordance
with their policies.
The
LSU
Medical/Dental
Schools leadership failed in their leadership
responsibilities in their disregard. The lack of action on this issue makes the leadership
complicit in the homicide. They had a duty to observe and to act. They had the
evidence and knowledge to
suspect. They had the ability to diagnose. They did not have the courage to act.
Shortly after the homicide,
the LSU Medical School
leadership presented Mr. Nabors with a medical degree then enrolled
him in their full residency program at Charity
Hospital until the trial court judge,
the Honorable Dennis J. Waldron, removed him
from the program by placing him in jail.
After Dr. Nabors was placed in jail, the LSU Medical Center leadership, LSU Medical School doctors and LSU Dental School dentist wrote official letters on State of Louisiana stationary to the trial court judge in an attempt to extricate their doctor from jail. These letters were placed in the public record by the district court judge and remain on file at the Orleans Parish Criminal Court records room on Tulane Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are also available for viewing on this web site. After being notified in writing of the letters , the LSU Health Science Center Chancellor, Dr. Mervin Trail, did not make any public statement regarding the inappropriate behavior of his leadership or if the letters represented the LSU Health Science Center’s official position on the homicide. Neither Chancellor Trail nor the LSU Medical School authors of the inappropriate letters wrote the trial court judge retracting their letters. Chancellor Trail did tell the victim's family that the authors of the inappropriate official letters were reprimanded for their letters. However, this action remains undocumented and unconfirmed as is with nearly all of the misinformation provided to the victim's family by Chancellor Trail.
After their doctor was placed in prison, the LSU Medical School kept his residency position available until their actions were exposed to the Governor’s office. A few years after the homicide, through a discovery subpoena, it was revealed that the LSU Medical School continued to pay convicted felon Dr. Nabors a state salary with Louisiana public funds after he was in prison. Chancellor Mervin Trail provided misinformation to the victims family at every opportunity about the institutions handling of Dr. Nabors enrolment and employment.
On
March 8, 1995, nineteen days after the homicide, Mr. Nabors purchased his
Splash
truck. The truck was seen numerous times by the victim’s family as he drove it around town. It was also seen by
his friends and the LSU Health
Science Center, Medical School, and Dental School leadership as the vehicle was driven to the LSU Health Science Center and Charity Hospital and parked at Orleans Parish Criminal Court during
the criminal court hearings and the trial which started on November 27, 1995 some 9 months after the
homicide. The Louisiana Department of Corrections presentencing investigator
verified the ownership facts regarding the
Splash truck
for the trial judge prior to sentencing.
The LSU Health
Science Center, its subordinate institutions (LSU Medical School and LSU
Dental School), and Charity
Hospital concealed information from the criminal trial court during
prosecution of their doctor. Names of those doctors, nurses, and staff attending to Mr.
Nabors on February 17, 1995 were withheld from the court. Critical testimony needed by the
State for criminal prosecution was therefore not available. An Orleans Parish Grand Jury had to be convened to
investigate the incident. The efforts of LSU Health Science Center, its subordinate
institutions (LSU Medical School and LSU Dental School), and Charity Hospital failed to influence
the jury or trial court judge. After a long four (4) day jury trial with
25 witnesses,
Mr. Nabors was convicted of vehicular homicide
and was given the maximum jail sentence available under Louisiana law of 15
years hard labor without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of
sentence. A small measure of justice was served for the only crime which could
be prosecuted at that time. In accordance with the Louisiana "goodtime" statue,
Mr. Nabors was released from prison in June of 2010 after serving half of the
sentence.
Mr. Nabors pleaded not guilty at trial. He
On several
occasions in 1995, the Louisiana State Dental Board denied that Dr.
Nabors was registered with their Board when in fact he was granted a
registration certificate S-40 just 12 days
after the homicide. This board never investigated any
aspects of the homicide or their registrant’s actions and inactions after
they were notified in writing of the circumstances. The Louisiana State
Board of Dentistry did all they could to conceal
information
until they could announce that Dr. Nabors registration expired.
The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, after being advised of the homicide committed by Dr. Nabors, granted him a license (registration No. 96-I-009). After the conviction, the Board refused to take action as required by state law regarding the license until public pressure forced them to initiate action several months after Dr. Nabors conviction and imprisonment. Even when the Board initiated action, they refused to revoke their doctors registration document. They did all they could to conceal information and delay action until they could announce Dr. Nabors registration document expired.
Unlike their Louisiana counterparts, the Pennsylvania
State Board of Dentistry did react swiftly when notified about their
registrants actions. They did not deny that Dr. Nabors was a registrant. They indefinitely suspended Dr. Nabors dental
license on January 9, 1997.
On February
15, 1996, the Louisiana
Department of Public Safety and Corrections was charged
with supervision responsibilities of Dr. Nabors. In defiance of State law, as
of April 3, 1998, this agency had not revoked Dr. Nabors' Louisiana driver
license. They claim they were unaware of his vehicular homicide conviction even
though he was a guest at their medium security facility in Angie, Louisiana.
In November
1997, Washington Correctional Institute warden, Edgar Day, sent Dr. Nabors to
lecture to junior high school students in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana.
Dr. Nabors lectured and apparently began
appealing his case to the impressionable
students according to teachers, students, and residents of the area.
Sheriff Jack Strain
sent a letter to the warden asking that Dr. Nabors not be allowed back in St.
Tammany Parish to lecture to school children. Louisiana
Governor Mike Foster instructed the
warden to remove his name from the list of inmates eligible to speak to
impressionable children.
In 1996, LSU Health Science Center issued a letter stating that Dr. Nabors had been terminated from the LSUMC residency program on November 30, 1995 and received no salary for work beyond that date. In June of 1996, it was discovered that Dr. Nabors was still being carried on the official LSU Health Science Center residency roster complete with contact information, beeper number, and other employment information. His residency position was still being held even though he was in a Louisiana prison. It was obvious that the LSU Health Science Center leadership felt they could have their doctors conviction overturned. The LSU Health Science Center was compelled to amend their documents. In 1999, it was discovered through a court ordered subpoena that Dr. Nabors had remained on the LSU Health Science Center payroll and received illegal salary payments from public funds into 1996 long after his imprisonment. At the order of the Governor’s office, the LSU Health Science Center reluctantly requested a refund of the illegal salary payments from Dr. Nabors family. No action was taken regarding the leadership individuals responsible for the illegal payments.
Arrogant, egotistical, self-centered, insensitive doctors and dentists teaching young arrogant, egotistical, self-centered, insensitive doctors and dentists - the LSU Medical School/Dental School/Charity Hospital sad, sad, sad legacy.
As of 2005
all criminal court actions and appeals were completed. Where are the honest
Charity Hospital and LSU Medical School nurses, dentists, and doctors in this world?
Anyone with a conscience please contact us with any information about the actions of doctors,
dentist,
nurses and staff occurring at
Charity Hospital (now known as the Medical Center of Louisiana) in New
Orleans, Louisiana on February 17, 1995. There must be a change at these
institutions so that this type of cover-up by doctors and nurses to help one of
their doctors avoid prosecution for their criminal actions must be stopped. The
family can be reached by email at shaensel@cox.net, U. S. mail at 3901 N. Hullen Street, Metairie, Louisiana 70002, or by telephone at (504) 454-3905. We
pray to God to know the truth one day. Please help by calling or writing.
