Ex-Nurse Accused of Sexually Assaulting, Photographing Unconscious Patients
Image: Christopher Lambros
Disclaimer: This article contains graphic descriptions regarding patients and the accused.
Colorado intensive care unit (ICU) nurse, Christopher Peter Lambros, 61, has been arrested and charged with three counts of sexual assault on unconscious patients in a hospital setting.
Two of the three identified victims are now suing St. Mary’s Medical Center in Grand Junction, Colorado, where Lambros was employed at the time of the assaults. A third identified victim is deceased, and an unidentified fourth victim is thought to have been assaulted in 2016.
The Investigation
Lambros is a former ICU registered nurse (RN) at SCL Health, St. Mary’s Medical Center, now Intermountain Healthcare, in Grand Junction, Colorado. Lambros was employed at the facility between 2012 and October 25, 2022.
According to the arrest affidavit, on July 9, 2022, an unidentified female co-worker in the ICU at St. Mary’s Medical Center went in to check on a patient. The co-worker noted the light was out, and the curtain was drawn. When she pulled the curtain back, she saw the patient’s gown was pulled down exposing her breasts and up exposing her genitalia. The co-worker noted Lambros had his head on the patient’s stomach, facing her feet, with what appeared to be a cell phone in hand and taking what appeared to be a “selfie.”
When the investigators went to the home of Lambros to question him, Lambros denied the allegations and stated he was administering insulin to the patient’s stomach. He also stated he and the co-worker who reported the incident had experienced some “petty” issues at work. He allowed the officer to search his phone for photos and/or videos. None were found at the time, but the officer confiscated the cell phone to obtain a search warrant to search the phone for deleted content.
Lambros, per the arrest affidavit, refused to give the unlock code for the phone. Judge Robison signed a search warrant on July 13, 2022, allowing the phone to be searched for evidence from June 9, 2022, through July 9, 2022. DFA Huslig performed the digital forensic analysis.
Upon inspection, it was found 168 files had been deleted since April 30, 2022. A warrant was issued to search those files also. Many photos and videos were recovered, showing Lambros sexually assaulting unconscious patients in the hospital setting, “sucking on victim’s breasts and digitally penetrating victims.” In one video, Lambros whispers, “Don’t ever get rid of these videos. You need to keep them forever…this is your Dexter collection.” Dexter is a Showtime Original series about a fictional serial killer, Dexter Morgan, who commits crimes at night and solves them during the day.
Lambros was placed on administrative leave from St. Mary’s at the time of the allegations. He was arrested on October 25, 2022, for three counts of sexual assault and booked into a Mesa County Jail. His bond is currently set at $1 million.
The Lawsuit
Two of the three identified victims are suing St. Mary’s Medical Center, SCL Health, and Intermountain Healthcare for failing to protect them while they were hospitalized. The victims remain anonymous to the public at this time.
According to the lawsuit, the investigation uncovered 4 terabytes of evidence, equating to 700,000 photos and 65,000 hours of video related to Lambros’ actions. The lawsuit alleges the hospital may have known or should have known these assaults were taking place. It is reported there are cameras in the ICU rooms at St. Mary’s Medical Center.
Statement From The Victim’s Attorney
Siddhartha Rathod with Rathod|Mohamedbhai Attorneys at Law, LLC, is one of the attorneys representing the two victims. Rathod said, “What’s key here is our clients didn’t go to see Nurse Lambros. They went to St. Mary’s for medical care. St. Mary’s put this monster alone in a room with them without supervision. And this nurse has been doing this at St. Mary’s since at least 2016.”
Statements From The Victims
The two victims remain anonymous but were interviewed by CPR News. The victims are referred to as M.C. and J.V. to protect their privacy.
M.C. said, “There is no healing right now, it’s like a rollercoaster. My emotions have been really bad, it’s affected everything. Even when I try to block it out. But I just don’t want it to happen to more victims. Because St. Mary’s needs to do something different. I’m sorry but they are responsible for him.”
J.V., the second victim, said Lambros convinced her mother not to visit while she was hospitalized because she would not remember the visit. She said, “He convinced my mother that I would never remember her, and so that left me vulnerable, by myself, for eight days with this monster.”
Statement From St. Mary’s Medical Center
President of St. Mary’s Medical Center, Bryan Johnson, issued the following statement to one news outlet:
“Chris Lambros, a former nurse at St. Mary’s Medical Center, was terminated from employment immediately following his arrest by the Grand Junction Police Department under suspicion of sexual assault while delivering care at our hospital.
The safety of our patients is our highest priority, and we take this matter very seriously. We have zero tolerance for anyone who engages in the abuse or mistreatment of our patients. Immediately following the reported concern, the hospital placed Chris Lambros on administrative leave, removed his access to the hospital and patients, and reported the matter to local law enforcement. While the investigation is ongoing, at this time, the district attorney has charged the former nurse with abusing two patients.”
What this former nurse is accused of is reprehensible and goes against everything we believe and value at St. Mary’s Medical Center. Patients put their trust in us and should feel safe in our care. We are working closely with law enforcement to protect our patients from those who intend to cause harm. We are doing everything possible to ensure our patients continue to feel safe and respected while receiving care at St. Mary’s Medical Center.
St. Mary’s continues fully cooperating with the Grand Junction Police Department in its ongoing investigation. We cannot offer further details about this matter out of respect for patient privacy.
While the Grand Junction Police Department and hospital are contacting known victims directly, we understand that our former patients may have questions or concerns, and we want to offer them support. We have set up a call center to directly connect people with a patient representative so they can get information about their individual care. That phone number is 970-298-2273.
Questions about the criminal investigation should be directed to the Grand Junction Police Department or the 21st Judicial District Attorney’s Office.”
It is unclear at this time how many patients may have fallen victim to Christopher Lambros. The investigation is currently ongoing.
Nurse.org reached out to St. Mary’s for a comment regarding this story and has not received a reply at time of publication.
