“All of these children were mishandled”: Henrico NICU nurse pleads no contest to child abuse charges

A former neonatal intensive care unit nurse at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital entered nine no contest pleas to child abuse on Jan. 15.

Erin Strotman, 27, was convicted on nine class 6 felony abuse and neglect charges after several unexplained infant fractures were found between 2022 and 2024. In total, 20 charges were filed against Strotman and with her plea deal, she will likely serve a sentence of no more than three years.

Pleading no contest in Virginia forfeits the right of a trial, implies a confession of guilt and an agreement that there is sufficient evidence for guilt as well. By entering these no contest pleas, Strotman cannot appeal any of her convictions or sentences, and will not have the opportunity to be released on parole. 

Strotman began working at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital in September 2019 on an adult care floor and was later transferred to the NICU in May 2022 after receiving and passing all required trainings.

After four babies in the NICU were discovered with fractures in 2023, HDH reported the findings to Child Protective Services and conducted an investigation into potential abuse. Video recording systems were installed in every NICU room in HDH and child abuse trainings were given to HDH’s NICU employees.

CPS could not pinpoint a singular suspect during this investigation but Strotman was placed on leave, and came back a year later, according to Alison Martin, one of the Commonwealth’s Attorneys in this case. 

Strotman completed what amounted to four hours of training before returning to the NICU after the investigation, according to an order from the Virginia Department of Health Professions. She then completed four shifts with supervision from a preceptor.

After Strotman returned to work without supervision, 10 injuries to an infant, which were deemed “non accidental” by Dr. Robin Foster, who leads the Virginia Commonwealth University Child Protection Team, were reported. These injuries were correctly reported to CPS in November 2024 and a new investigation headed by Henrico Detective Megan Lynch and CPS’s Rochelle Burrell began with Foster’s consulting. 

Strotman became the primary suspect who could have caused the injuries during “windows of opportunity,” determined by radiology film, after videos of her care of the injured infants were reviewed. Another factor that led to Strotman as a suspect was that there were no injuries to infants in the NICU while she was on leave from Aug. 2023 to Sept. 2024.

However, there was nothing to show that Strotman was improperly trained, according to Foster.

Strotman was found guilty of fracturing ribs, femurs and ulnas in a total of nine infants. Bucket fractures and bruising were also present in some of the infants.

During her post-Miranda interview with the police in 2025, Strotman said “I feel like it was just my regular care honestly. I mean, I didn’t do anything that I feel like I would be concerned about,” when asked specifically about one of the infants who had injuries. 

“I would like to stand by my work,” Strotman said after being shown video of her actions that were labeled ‘concerning’ by medical professionals, according to transcripts provided to the court by Martin.

Strotman’s nursing license was suspended in May 2025 after a separate investigation began with the Virginia Board of Nursing. Her plea agreement bars her from acting in the capacity of a ‘healthcare professional’ again. She also cannot be a caregiver for a ‘vulnerable adult’ or a child under 18, nor can she have unsupervised contact with children under her suspended sentence.

The nine babies impacted by Strotman’s care are recovering well after a “deviation from standard of care.”

Strotman remains out on bond at the request of her attorneys, and despite the request of the attorneys of the Commonwealth to remand her to custody, until her sentencing on June 5 at 11 a.m, when victim impact statements will be heard. 

Contact managing editor Christina Taylor at christina.taylor@richmond.edu and news writer Alexa Mora at alexa.mora@richmond.edu