WASHINGTON — Three Maryland residents have been indicted on criminal negligence charges in connection with the death of a patient at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington, federal officials announced.
Nelson Kuma, 37, Richard Hounnou, 45, and Norma Munoz-Bent, 68, appeared in court for arraignment on April 7, 2026, after a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia returned an indictment on March 31, 2026.
According to prosecutors, the charges stem from the April 26, 2020 death of a 58-year-old man identified as G.W., who was under the care of staff at the facility. The indictment alleges the three defendants failed to provide necessary care and services required to maintain the patient’s health, resulting in his death.
Kuma and Hounnou were employed as psychiatric counselors, while Munoz-Bent was a registered nurse at the time of the incident. Authorities allege that after the patient became unresponsive and stopped breathing, the three failed to properly assess his condition, did not perform CPR, and did not provide potentially lifesaving measures for at least 21 minutes.
By the time emergency care was initiated, the patient could not be resuscitated, officials said.
Following their arraignment, all three defendants were released pending trial. A hearing is set for May 29, 2026 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
The case is being investigated by the D.C. Office of the Inspector General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Officials are urging anyone with information related to the abuse of vulnerable adults at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington to contact authorities.
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