German nurse given life sentence for killing 10 patients

• A German palliative care nurse was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 10 patients and the attempted murder of 27 others via lethal overdoses of sedatives.
• The nurse targeted elderly, seriously ill patients to reduce his workload and was sentenced with "particular severity of guilt," barring early release.

A 44-year-old palliative care nurse was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Aachen Regional Court in Germany on Wednesday for the murder of 10 patients and the attempted murder of 27 others.

The crimes, committed between December 2023 and May 2024 at a hospital in Wuerselen near Aachen, involved the administration of lethal overdoses of sedatives and painkillers, including morphine and midazolam; a muscle relaxant sometimes used in executions in the United States.

Prosecutors argued that the nurse, who worked night shifts in the palliative care unit, deliberately targeted mostly elderly and seriously ill patients to reduce his workload by avoiding demanding care tasks, such as monitoring vital signs or responding to emergencies.

"Master of Life and Death" 

They described him as playing "master of life and death" over those entrusted to his care, injecting overdoses that led to rapid respiratory failure and death in the successful murders.

The victims, aged primarily in their 70s and 80s, were in vulnerable states, often requiring intensive end-of-life support, which the nurse reportedly found burdensome.

The nurse, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed under German privacy laws, completed his professional training in 2007 and worked at various facilities, including in Cologne, before joining the Wuerselen hospital in 2020.

He was arrested in the summer of 2024 after suspicious patterns of patient deaths during his shifts prompted an internal investigation and police involvement.

The trial, which began in March 2025, featured testimony from medical experts, colleagues, and forensic pathologists who analyzed autopsy reports and hospital records to link the deaths to intentional overdoses.

His defense team sought an acquittal, arguing insufficient evidence of intent, but the court rejected this, citing overwhelming forensic and circumstantial proof.

During the proceedings, psychological evaluations revealed that the defendant suffered from a severe personality disorder characterized by emotional detachment and a complete lack of empathy for his patients.

Prosecutors noted he showed no remorse throughout the trial, further underscoring the "particular severity of guilt" that the court invoked to bar any possibility of early release after 15 years, a standard option in German life sentences.

Investigators are continuing to probe additional suspicious deaths, with exhumations of former patients underway to determine if more victims can be attributed to the nurse.

Prosecutors have indicated that further charges and another trial could follow if new evidence emerges.

The hospital in Wuerselen has faced scrutiny for potential lapses in oversight, though no specific details on internal reforms have been publicly released yet.

In response to similar past cases, some German hospitals have implemented stricter monitoring, such as "qualified necropsies" involving additional coroners for unexpected deaths.

This case draws parallels to other notorious medical serial killings in Germany, most notably that of Niels Hoegel, a nurse sentenced in 2019 to life imprisonment for murdering 85 patients between 2000 and 2005 at hospitals in Oldenburg and Delmenhorst.

Hoegel, motivated by a desire to impress colleagues with resuscitation attempts, prompted widespread reforms in hospital protocols.

Another ongoing case involves Johannes M., a 40-year-old palliative care specialist on trial in Berlin since July 2025 for allegedly killing 15 patients with injections between 2021 and 2024, in some instances setting fires to cover his tracks.