On 5th November, a German palliative care nurse was found guilty of killing ten patients and the attempted murder of twenty-seven others. He was given a life sentence and was accused by prosecutors of injecting high doses of sedatives or painkillers into his largely elderly patients in an attempt to reduce his workload during night shifts.
The crimes were carried out in a hospital in Wuerselen of western Germany, between December 2023 and May 2024. Several additional dubious situations during the convict’s tenure are also under examination by investigators. He was arrested in 2024.
The man, who has not been publicly named, began working at the Wuerselen hospital in 2020 after finishing his nursing professional training in 2007, according to media agency Agence France-Presse (AFP). He was charged with playing “master of life and death” by prosecutors who told an Aachen court that he displayed “irritation” and lacked empathy for patients who needed more care.
Hence, he attempted to lessen his workload during night shifts by injecting patients with high dosages of morphine and a sedative called midazolam, the court was informed. The court stated that the man’s offences bore a “particular severity of guilt” and that this should prevent him from being released early after 15 years. The decision will be subject to an appeal.
Exhumations are underway to find other possible victims, according to the prosecutors. This might lead to further trials.
The case is identical to that of former nurse Niels Hückel who was put on trial in 2019 for killing 85 patients at two northern German hospitals and handed down a life sentence. He gave fatal amounts of cardiac medicine to patients under his care between 1999 and 2005, according to a court ruling. He is considered to be the most prolific murderer in modern history of the nation.
