The Derisifol Murders

Paul Hornsby with syringe of Derisifol. (2016)

The Derisifol Murders, also known as the Angel of Mercy Killer case, occurred between May and September 2016, involving an unidentified serial killer targeting patients at General Hospital. The perpetrator was ultimately revealed to be Paul Hornsby.

Recap

Two patients, Owen Ellis and Sandra Jenkins, were murdered at General Hospital after being injected with Derisifol, a muscle relaxant intended exclusively for surgical use. When Dr. Matthew Mayes and GH patient Julie Prescott were killed in a similar manner, it became clear that a serial killer was active within the hospital.

Paul arrived at GH following the death of another patient. While in Monica Quartermaine's office, Elizabeth Webber came looking for Monica. Paul informed her that Monica was unavailable, and as soon as Elizabeth left, he hastily exited Monica's office. Paul feared Elizabeth might have seen him holding a full syringe, revealing himself as the Angel of Mercy Killer. He cut the hospital's power and pushed Elizabeth down the stairs during the blackout.

After the power outage, Paul encountered Hayden Barnes in the stairwell and questioned her presence. Hayden explained that Elizabeth had been injured and needed help. Paul tried to stop Hayden from leaving and began interrogating her, but she managed to push past him and rushed to find Hamilton Finn. Paul then noticed Franco Baldwin with Elizabeth and feigned concern for her condition. He asked Franco what had happened, and Franco replied that he had seen Hayden with Elizabeth when he arrived.

Following the incident with Elizabeth, Paul discreetly approached Monica in the locker room, armed with a lethal syringe. His attempt to attack her was interrupted when his phone unexpectedly beeped, prompting him to quickly hide the syringe in his pocket as Monica turned to face him. Apologizing for startling her, Paul checked his phone and found a message from Ava Jerome requesting an urgent meeting at Perks Coffee. Upon leaving, Paul cleaned the syringe and disposed of it in a trash can.

At Perks Coffee, Paul assured Ava that he would keep her confession confidential if she testified against her brother, Julian Jerome. Ava, however, refused and declared that Paul would never use the confession against her. She revealed that she had helped Jordan identify a pair of Roman coin cuff-links but could not recall where she had seen them. She reminded Paul of the sex tape and confronted him about the hospital murders, displaying the medical kit and its contents. Ava dismissed the cuff-links as irrelevant, emphasizing that she possessed the murder weapon with Paul's fingerprints, exposing him as the General Hospital serial killer. While Paul claimed to have a prescription for the medication, Ava countered that it was strictly for surgical use. Paul speculated that Ava wanted the flash drive in exchange for the medication, but Ava clarified she expected Julian's release. Days later, Paul received a text from Ava reminding him to honor his part of the deal, as she knew all his secrets.

In the interrogation room, Hayden was detained for allegedly pushing Elizabeth down the stairs. Paul questioned why Hayden had not been transferred to a jail cell and was informed that evidence suggested Hayden was not the culprit. A photograph of a man, shown from the knees down, found on Elizabeth's phone, was presented. Paul dismissed its relevance, arguing the phone might not belong to Elizabeth. Franco confirmed it was Elizabeth's phone, and Curtis Ashford added that the geolocator verified the photo was taken at the hospital when Elizabeth was pushed.

At the Metro Court Hotel, Paul called a mysterious woman to wish her a happy birthday and expressed regret for not celebrating with her. He reaffirmed his commitment, stating he was nearly finished and promised to be with her for her next birthday if all went as planned. Paul ended the call as Tracy Quartermaine arrived, informing him she had just left a board meeting where they discussed shutting down the hospital until the perpetrator was caught which is precisely what Paul wanted.

Paul quietly entered Monica's office while she was on a phone call. Once she ended the conversation, Paul grabbed her in a choke-hold and injected her with a syringe. As the drug took effect, Paul told Monica that she had brought this upon herself. He then left her office, but was startled when Sabrina Santiago appeared unexpectedly, stating she needed to speak with Monica. Sabrina entered Monica's office, found her unconscious on the floor, and yelled for Paul to get help. She began performing CPR on Monica.

Paul attacks and kills Sabrina Santiago. (2016)

Later, while Paul was elsewhere in the hospital, Sabrina confronted him and revealed that the hospital killer had struck again, with Monica as the latest victim. When Sabrina questioned why Paul hadn't returned with help, he claimed to have informed a nurse and assured her of his concern for Monica. Paul promised to contact the police commissioner, but as he reached for his phone, a pair of latex gloves fell from his pocket. Realizing the truth, Sabrina tried to escape, but Paul quickly restrained her, covered her mouth, and dragged her into an examination room. He placed her in a choke-hold and ended her life.

During Julian's trial, Paul outlined Julian's alleged offenses and vowed to prove his guilt on all charges. Instead of presenting his opening statement, Scott Baldwin contested the admissibility of certain evidence, revealing that a warrant had been issued for 2813 Belleforest Drive, while Alexis Davis and Julian lived at 2183 Belleforest Drive. This discrepancy rendered the evidence collected at Alexis' residence unlawfully obtained and inadmissible.

When Alexis took the witness stand, she stuttered and struggled to articulate her account of a conversation with Julian, during which he allegedly nearly slit her throat. She was accused of being intoxicated but maintained that she had only consumed half a glass of wine, unaware that Paul had drugged her.

Paul attempted to call Sabrina as a witness, only to be reminded that she had been murdered. Julian was ultimately acquitted. Later, Paul met Ava in the park, where she commended him for his work and warned that an associate held a letter to be sent to the police should anything happen to her. Ava reassured Paul of her commitment to their agreement but urged him to stop his killings while ahead and advised him to leave town.

At Sabrina's funeral, Paul, overcome with emotion, confessed to Tracy that he had killed Sabrina, emphasizing that she was never meant to be harmed. He took responsibility for failing to apprehend the murderer, explaining that Sabrina had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, making the incident deeply personal for him.

Paul visited the Quartermaine Mansion with the intention of attempting to murder Monica again, but Tracy intervened, explaining that Monica needed rest as per the doctors' advice. Tracy revealed that Monica had recalled her attacker's cologne as being familiar. Later, Paul visited his daughter Susan Hornsby, bringing flowers and a cake. He admitted to previously sending her a birthday cake but expressed his desire to witness her blow out the candles. Susan remained silent and withdrawn, recoiling and curling up on her bed when Paul tried to kiss her forehead. Paul apologized for scaring her and explained that he had compiled a list of everyone who had caused her harm, assuring her that those individuals were no longer a threat and that it was safe for her to return. He promised that no one would hurt her again and that justice had been served, all while Tracy overheard the conversation.

Tracy felt a wave of anxiety but found relief when the elevator doors closed, only for them to reopen with Paul standing there. Paul questioned her presence, and Tracy explained she had come to see Susan, recounting how she had found her. She acknowledged Paul's need to spend time with his daughter. Paul, however, stated it was not the right time, explaining that although Susan did not speak, she had expressed a desire to be alone.

Paul suggested having dinner together but suddenly realized he had left his wallet behind. They arrived at the lodge where Paul was staying, and panic overtook him upon realizing Tracy had overheard his conversation with Susan. In desperation, Paul restrained Tracy to a chair. Attempting to distract him, Tracy asked why he targeted individuals at the hospital. Paul revealed his actions were driven by a need for vengeance for Susan, who had once been his guiding light until it was extinguished.

Paul elaborated that Kyle Sloane had been an abusive and domineering figure who had assaulted Susan. Susan sought treatment at General Hospital for her injuries, but Dr. Mayes failed to handle the rape kit properly. The sole witness, Julie Prescott, refused to testify. Monica had sent Susan a note apologizing for the mishandling. Tracy remarked that Monica should not be blamed for others' actions. Paul dismissed this, arguing it was irrelevant since Monica could still identify him. He remained determined to resolve all unresolved matters.

Paul admitted to being compelled to target Elizabeth and Sabrina. Grabbing a necktie, he approached Tracy with menace but soon realized he could not strangle her. Instead, he picked up a syringe, pressing the needle against Tracy's neck just as Anna Devane burst in, gun drawn. Moments later, Tracy and Paul's son, Dillon Quartermaine arrived, declaring Paul would have to eliminate him too. Dillon ordered Paul to step away from Tracy, and ultimately, Jordan Ashford apprehended him.

Paul was incarcerated in the Port Charles jail, where Jordan confronted him, furious over his betrayal. She regretted not realizing sooner that Kyle Sloane's murder was only the start of a larger crisis. Paul defended his actions, claiming they were necessary for Susan's sake. Jordan accused him of being a bully who preyed on innocents.

Ava arrived with Scott, informing Paul that she had hired Scott to represent him. Paul retorted that he was representing himself and accused Ava of trying to bribe him with an attorney to gain possession of the flash drive containing her confession. Ava begged Paul not to take her down with him, emphasizing her daughters needed her protection.

Paul remained indifferent but admitted that being caught had almost brought a sense of relief, suspecting Ava might feel the same. He accused Ava of exploiting her daughter to justify evading justice for murder, asserting that she believed her love for her daughters exempted her from facing consequences. At that moment, Jordan returned and announced it was time for Paul to leave for Pentonville Penitentiary.

Paul caused Ava to panic when he informed Jordan he had something to declare. He stated he would plead guilty to spare his family the distress of a trial. After Jordan left to notify the acting District Attorney, Paul revealed to Ava his plan to keep the flash drive containing her confession as leverage for future favors.

Victims

This is a list of Paul's victims while he was known as "The Angel of Mercy." Names in bold are those who were killed.

Character	Crime	Date
Owen Ellis	Injected with Derisifol	May 5, 2016
Sandra Jenkins	Injected with Derisifol	May 18, 2016
Matthew Mayes	Injected with Derisifol	July 1, 2016
Julie Prescott	Injected with Derisifol	July 29, 2016
Valerie Spencer	Knocked unconscious from behind	August 18, 2016
Elizabeth Webber	Pushed down the hospital steps	August 29, 2016
Monica Quartermaine	Stalked, attacked and injected with Derisifol from behind	August 31 and September 13, 2016
Sabrina Santiago	Strangled	September 14, 2016
Alexis Davis	Drugged	September 15, 2016
Tracy Quartermaine	Kidnapped	September 28-October 3, 2016