PALMER TWP., Pa. - Among the top clicked content on Netflix right now is the newly-released documentary outlining the investigation into Charles Cullen and the film about him. It took a lot of work and a lot of people to stop the former nurse, who used his job to kill people at hospitals across the region.
Now retired, Edee Russo-Maurer still helps out at the Palmer Township Police Department, where she spent 35 years answering phones and fetching documents.
She's met a lot of criminals, though Charles Cullen stuck out. When he came through the Palmer Township Police Department doors, he was in trouble for trespassing.
"I had an eerie feeling about him," said Russo-Maurer.
It was the eye contact.
Now, Cullen's case is back in the headlines, as the documentary "Capturing the Killer Nurse" and the film "The Good Nurse" hit Netflix.
Cullen admitted to murdering 29 patients and is suspected of killing hundreds more.
When 69 News Reporter Priscilla Liguori talked with New Jersey Detective Tim Braun, who is among those credited for getting Cullen behind bars, he said one of, if not the biggest, break in the case came in the very first days of the investigation.
It was when he called Palmer Township Police for Cullen's record. On the other end, you may have guessed, was Russo-Maurer.
"It was a little strange that he was calling about such an old arrest, when approximately three months prior, another state trooper from Pennsylvania had called about the same report," said Russo-Maurer.
Russo-Maurer knew enough to leave a simple sticky note, a reminder about that, on file.
That allowed Braun to realize he wasn't alone in investigating Cullen; the behavior was a pattern, as Cullen moved around to several local hospitals.
"My mother would always tell me that God worked in mysterious ways, so be it that I left a note, and it ended up connecting two detectives to look deeper into this investigation," said Russo-Maurer.
Most times, Russo-Maurer never knew if her hard work paid off. For this case, she did.
"It felt like an honor to me," said Russo-Maurer.
Braun tells 69 News he's now dedicated to educating health care systems and law enforcement agencies to take steps to stop people like Cullen right away. It's a mission Russo-Maurer supports.
She says she still has the thank you note Braun gave her all of those years ago.
