Officer, Records Subpoenaed in ‘Angel of Death’ Case
The lawyer for “angel of death” suspect Efren Saldivar has subpoenaed a Glendale police detective and the department’s records, hoping to clear his client in the 2-year-old murder investigation.
Attorney Terry Goldberg said he needs details from the ongoing police investigation to defend Saldivar in a lawsuit filed in March 1999 by a Glendale family. Saldivar is accused of wrongdoing in the death of John N. Schwartz, a 91-year-old Alzheimer’s patient.
In March 1998, Saldivar, a former respiratory therapist at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, allegedly told police he caused the deaths of 40 to 50 terminally ill patients between 1989 and 1997. He later recanted on national television.
“I want the police to come forward and tell everybody that they completed their investigation and found no evidence whatsoever that he has done anything wrong so he can get on with his life,” Goldberg said.
Scott Howard, the Glendale city attorney, said he wasn’t aware of the subpoena from Goldberg, but added the city typically tries to dismiss subpoenas if information is sought on a pending police investigation.
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