A German court has sentenced a 44-year-old nurse to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of killing 10 patients and attempting to murder 27 others while working at a hospital in Wuerselen, near Aachen.
The crimes, committed between December 2023 and May 2024, involved administering dangerously high doses of sedatives and painkillers to mostly elderly patients. Prosecutors revealed that the nurse acted with the intention of reducing his responsibilities during night duty, choosing vulnerable patients under his care.
Investigators testified that the nurse showed no regret or compassion throughout the trial. A psychiatric assessment further indicated a serious personality disorder, contributing to his cold and detached behavior at work.
Due to the gravity of the case, the court ruled that the offender will not be eligible for early parole, a provision sometimes granted after 15 years under German law.
The nurse, who completed training in 2007 and later joined the Wuerselen hospital in 2020, was arrested in mid-2024 after colleagues raised alarms about an unusual spike in sudden deaths within his ward. Authorities have since exhumed several bodies to determine whether additional victims may be linked to the case, leaving open the possibility of further charges.
This shocking case has sparked renewed discussions about patient safety in Germany’s healthcare system and has drawn parallels to the crimes of Niels Hoegel, a former nurse convicted in 2019 for the deaths of dozens of patients under his care.
