Nathan Sutherland was arrested in 2019 on suspicion of sexually assaulting a patient at the hospital where he worked. He initially denied the charge, but the former nurse later pleaded guilty to rape.
Sutherland was convicted by a judge in Arizona, in the western United States, and will be subject to lifelong scrutiny, in addition to being convicted as a sex offender.
The victim, a member of the San Carlos Apache Indian tribe, was admitted to hospital in 2008 at Hacienda Healthcare in Arizona.
According to her family, when she was young, she suffered from seizures that left her aftermath. “He cannot speak, but can move his limbs, head and neck,” they explained. “She reacts to sounds and knows how to mimic,” they said.
According to the police, who took over the investigation after the unexpected birth, the young woman, who was 29 at the time, “could not consent” to intercourse.
Health center officials said they had no idea the patient was pregnant until she gave birth on December 29, and the case had widespread implications across the country.
Sutherland’s DNA matched that of the child who was in the care of the patient’s family.
