Fellow Nurses Africa | Lagos, Nigeria| 19 January, 2026
A former neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital has been found guilty in connection with injuries suffered by multiple infants under her care. Erin Strotman, 27, pleaded no contest Thursday to nine counts of felony child abuse involving nine babies who were found with unexplained fractures and other injuries while in the hospital’s NICU.
A no-contest plea means Strotman did not admit guilt but acknowledged the state had sufficient evidence to prove the charges against her, resulting in a conviction on all nine counts.
Under the terms of a plea agreement accepted by Judge Richard S. Wallerstein Jr., Strotman faces a maximum of three years in prison. She will also be banned from practicing nursing or any healthcare profession and from working with minors or vulnerable adults.
Prosecutors in the case presented video evidence showing rough handling of infants, including one clip in which Strotman was seen placing her full body weight on a distressed baby. Her defense argued the actions were not malicious and stemmed from her belief she was applying a gas-relief technique.
Strotman will remain on house arrest until her formal sentencing on June 5, 2026, at which point families of the affected infants will be allowed to make statements to the court.
The investigation began in late 2024 when hospital staff discovered several premature babies with unexplained bone fractures — injuries that sparked internal reviews and later police involvement. These cases stretched back to incidents involving infants in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
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