Pennsylvania nurse charged in death of H.R. McMaster’s father

A nurse in Philadelphia has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of 84-year-old H.R. McMaster Sr., the father of President Donald Trump’s former national security advisor.

Christann Gainey, 30, was arrested on Thursday morning and charged with neglect of a care-dependent person, involuntary manslaughter and tampering with records in connection with the death of McMaster Sr. at the Cathedral Village.

McMaster Sr. was admitted to the senior living facility on April 9 for a rehabilitation program after he had suffered a stroke. Just three days later, at 11:30 p.m. on April 12, a staff member found McMaster Sr. on the floor of his room after he had suffered a fall.

According to prosecutors, Gainey failed to administer 8 neurological checks which were required to identify any decline or change in McMaster’s cognitive status. These checks would have included tests of motor and verbal skills, a measure of eye response to light and a check of vital signs.

The next morning, at about 7 a.m., staff members discovered that McMaster had passed away in a wheelchair in the lobby of the building. When Gainey was asked to provide the paperwork of her neurological checks, she fabricated the reports, according to prosecutors.

McMaster’s cause of death was determined to be blunt impact head trauma with a contributing factor being untreated subdural hematoma. Surveillance video from the facility’s lobby indicates that Gainey did not perform a single neurological exam on McMaster after he fell.

“She did not perform one – not one – neurological check on Mr. McMaster, and even lied on the paperwork that she did,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. “The evidence shows that Gainey intentionally, knowingly and recklessly caused serious bodily injury to Mr. McMaster by failing to provide treatment or care.”