HARVARD MORGUE MANAGER'S WIFE PLEADS GUILTY TO SELLING BODY PARTS DONATED FOR RESEARCH

Denise Lodge, the wife of a former morgue manager at Harvard Medical School, has pled guilty to the charge of interstate transportation and sale of stolen body parts, as per PEOPLE. She was accused of trading human body parts that had been given to Harvard for research. Her husband's position as the morgue manager gave 64-year-old Denise direct access to bodies donated to the institute, according to WMUR TV. She allegedly ran the trafficking ring in collaboration with Cedric Lodge, Katrina Maclean, Joshua Taylor, and Mathew Lampi. All of them have been charged separately for playing their part in the crime, while Jeremy Pauley has been identified as one of the buyers in the trade, and has pled guilty to conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property, as per a press release by the United States Attorney's Office.

As per court documents reviewed by PEOPLE, Lodge pled guilty to the charges as part of the plea deal presented to her by the prosecution. According to the deal, she would evade a conspiracy charge by entering a guilty plea. Hope Lefeber, Lodge's attorney in the case explained in an interview the reason behind her client's move. "She is very ill and wanted to put this chapter of life behind her and not have the stress of ongoing legal proceedings," Lefeber says. "It's a complicated case, it's really a case of first impression. There's not another case nationwide about whether human remains constitute stolen goods or merchandise."

The theft of body parts was done without the knowledge of Harvard Medical School, and the institution has expressed its disappointment that such a crime was pulled off under its roof. George Q. Daley, dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard University, and Edward M. Hundert, dean for Medical Education at Harvard Medical School (HMS), released a joint statement condemning Cedric's actions and calling it an "abhorrent betrayal." The statement read, "We are appalled to learn that something so disturbing could happen on our campus — a community dedicated to healing and serving others. The reported incidents are a betrayal of HMS and, most importantly, each of the individuals who altruistically chose to will their bodies to HMS through the Anatomical Gift Program to advance medical education and research."

Among those whose body parts were sold by the couple as part of their illicit trade, was the Deputy Sheriff. His body had been donated to HMS so that it could contribute to further research in the institution. The man's son Nicholas Pichowicz, expressed disbelief that his family's goodwill had been returned in such a manner by the institution. "We feel extremely betrayed by these individuals and the school," he shared.