Gwen Baldwin (Carolyn McCormick) is the main villainess from "Dead Man Walking," episode 1.05 of Body of Proof (airdate April 19, 2011). She is an old friend of Megan Hunt, and the administrator of the hospital where Megan formerly worked as a surgeon.
Four years prior to the episode's events, Gwen's son, Nick, died of a drug overdose at a frat party during his freshman year in college. At the time of his death, Nick was pledging at a fraternity which had George White as its president. In the years that passed, Gwen blamed Nick's death on George and the rest of the fraternity, and was furious that all they received was academic probation. When George was transferred to her hospital for surgery, Gwen took the opportunity to exact revenge.
Gwen (a former nurse) tampered with the staple guns by lacing them with fungus found on her bonsai trees, and later replaced a set of guns with the contaminated ones. Unbeknownst to Gwen, the schedule was changed, and a man named Ted Harbison underwent surgery on that day instead of George. Ted fell victim to Gwen's villainous sabotage and died of internal bleeding after the surgery. As part of her plan, the evil Gwen used surgeon Mark Chandler's reputation and notoriety for recklessness in his surgical performances to set him up as the scapegoat in Harbison's death, making it appear that Chandler's actions finally caught up with him. George underwent his own surgery and nearly became Gwen's second victim, but she was saved by Megan.
Chandler was under suspicion, but Gwen was revealed as the killer when Megan found the fungus on the guns. Megan confronted Gwen in the episode's climax, and it was there that the villainess confessed everything. Megan informed Gwen that she wouldn't turn her in due to their friendship; opting to allow Gwen to turn herself in. Gwen does (off-screen) and is arrested for her role in Ted Harbison's death and the attempt on George White.
Trivia[]
- Gwen Baldwin is similar to Dr. Rachel Walters from the 1993 TV film A Twist of the Knife; both are medical professionals who sabotage surgeries to murder someone they blame for the death/severe injury of their child. But Rachel's murder attempt was successful, while Gwen's was not.
Quotes[]
- "Do you know what George White and his fraternity brothers got for killing my son? Nothing. No criminal charges. The university put them on administrative probation. Probation! What would you have done, Megan, if it was your daughter and the son of a bitch who killed her was under your scalpel? (Megan: "I wouldn't kill him.") Then you're not the Megan Hunt I remember." (Gwen Baldwin showing her vengeful personality and revealing her motive for targeting George White)