Unhinged CRNA encourages followers to inject ICE agents with succinylcholine as a "scare tactic"
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Succinylcholine: Great for intubation and murder, but terrible for job retention.
Unless you've been living under a rock, you're probably aware of President Trump's sweeping deployments of goon squads ICE agents across the United States. His unprecedented campaign against illegal immigration/undocumented migration has undoubtedly been polarizing and led to mass protests, including protests by medical professionals following the tragic killing of VA ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis recently. 61% of respondents in a recent New York Times/Siena poll said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has gone too far.
But regardless of your opinion on immigration and ICE, we can all agree that trying to inject a potentially lethal paralytic drug to deliberately harm another human being crosses a bright red line. Meet Malinda Rose Cook, a nurse anesthetist (CRNA) formerly employed at Virginia Commonwealth University, a public research university based in Richmond, Virginia, who posted this now-deleted TikTok video that would make Josef Mengele proud. In the nearly 3-minute video, which gives the impression that it was made at work with her dressed in scrubs and wearing surgical mask, she encourages medical providers to "grab some syringes with needles on the end" and "have them full of saline or succinylcholine" and that this "will probably be a deterrent".
A "deterrent"? Jesus fucking Christ, Malinda. There's a big, big difference between a "deterrent"/"scare tactic" and attempted murder. If you went to medical school, did an anesthesiology rotation, or anesthesiology residency, you're probably aware of the fact that succinylcholine is an ultra-short-acting depolarizing muscle relaxant used in anesthesia for rapid paralysis, e.g. before endotracheal tube placement. Given intramuscularly, as Malinda is probably suggesting, onset of action would occur within 2-3 minutes (a bit slower than if given IV - 30 to 60 seconds). As a skeletal muscle relaxant (yes, including your diaphragm), a person, say, an ICE agent, injected with one or more sufficient doses of succinylcholine would suddenly become unable to move, breathe, or swallow, potentially resulting in their death.
Just imagine if murderous Malinda, or one of her inspired followers actually decided to go through with a plan like this, especially in an isolated setting without EMS readily available. Someone walks up behind you, you feel a sharp poke, and next thing you know, you're suffocating to death because of respiratory paralysis. Indeed, succinylcholine was the weapon of choice for baby serial killer Genene Jones (who was also a nurse) and con man David Davis, who murdered his wife Shannon Mohr in what was initially thought to be a horseback riding accident. Yikes.
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Rebecca Reisner
In the video, Malinda also suggests mixing water with poison ivy or poison oak, putting it in a water gun, and aiming for faces and hands. Finally, she calls for single ladies to honeypot ICE agents by getting with them on dating apps such as Tinder or Hinge, and lacing their food with Ex-Lax for a shitty surprise. She seems like a really pleasant and totally not unhinged lady, don't you think?
UPDATE: Following an investigation, the individual involved in the social media videos is no longer employed by VCU Health. In addition, VCU Health has fulfilled its reporting requirements under Virginia state law. https://t.co/TlnkbynMft pic.twitter.com/tVvDZtzh0h
— VCU Health (@VCUHealth) January 28, 2026
Shortly after Malinda's video went viral and destroyed her reputation, it didn't take long for her employer to dump her like a sack of radioactive bricks AND report her to law enforcement. Say goodbye to that six-figure CRNA salary, Malinda! (And hopefully also that nursing license.) We look forward to VCU Health finding a board-eligible/board-certified anesthesiologist to replace you.
As of this writing, Malinda's Virginia nursing license is still active. If you wish to file a complaint against her license, you can do so via the Virginia Department of Health Professions Enforcement Division website: https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/PractitionerResources/Enforcement/FileaComplaint/
Finally, besides VCU's statement that "the content of the videos is highly inappropriate not does not reflect the integrity or values of our health system", it's also worth pointing out that ole' Malinda here could face criminal charges. § 18.2-29 of the Code of Virginia regarding criminal solicitation specifies that
Any person who commands, entreats, or otherwise attempts to persuade another person to commit a felony other than murder, shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony. Any person age eighteen or older who commands, entreats, or otherwise attempts to persuade another person under age eighteen to commit a felony other than murder, shall be guilty of a Class 5 felony. Any person who commands, entreats, or otherwise attempts to persuade another person to commit a murder is guilty of a felony punishable by confinement in a state correctional facility for a term not less than five years or more than forty years.
Ben Walls
Perhaps she'll make her next viral TikTok video from prison, after trading in her scrubs for an orange jumpsuit.
