A court in western Germany has sentenced a 44-year-old palliative care nurse to life imprisonment for the murder of 10 patients and the attempted murder of 27 others, marking one of the country’s most disturbing medical crime cases in recent years.
The verdict was delivered on Wednesday by the Aachen Regional Court, which found the defendant guilty of administering lethal injections to patients under his care between December 2023 and May 2024 at a hospital in Wuerselen, near Aachen.
The court ruled that the crimes carried a “particular severity of guilt,” meaning the convict will not be eligible for early release after 15 years, as is customary under German law.
Prosecutors described the nurse, whose identity remains withheld in line with German privacy laws, as a man who acted like a “master of life and death”, exploiting his position to kill vulnerable, mostly elderly patients.
His defense team, however, had argued for acquittal, claiming insufficient evidence of intent.
Investigations revealed that he injected patients with high doses of sedatives and painkillers, including morphine and midazolam, drugs often used for deep sedation and, in some countries, capital punishment.
Prosecutors alleged that his sole motivation was to reduce his workload during night shifts, showing no compassion or remorse throughout the proceedings.
Medical and psychological assessments presented to the court described the nurse as emotionally detached, suffering from a personality disorder, and exhibiting no empathy toward patients who required intensive care.
He reportedly began his nursing career in 2007 after completing his professional training and worked in several facilities across Germany, including in Cologne, before joining the Wuerselen hospital in 2020.
Authorities arrested him in mid-2024, following suspicious patient deaths that prompted a broader investigation.
Prosecutors disclosed that exhumations have been conducted to determine whether additional victims may be linked to the convicted nurse, raising the possibility of further charges.
