A palliative nurse in Germany has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of murdering 10 patients and attempting to kill 27 others, as per a report by Reuters. Prosecutors informed the Aachen court that the man injected mostly elderly patients with sedatives and painkillers to reduce his workload during overnight shifts. The court determined that these crimes carried a “particular severity of guilt,” meaning he has little possibility of early release after serving the minimum 15 years, as per German law.
The offence was committed between December 2023 and May 2024 at a clinic near Aachen in western Germany. The report added that the verdict can still be appealed and that investigators are reviewing several other suspicious incidents during the nurse’s career.
Injected lethal doses to avoid workload
As per a report by the BBC, prosecutors alleged that the man, who was not publicly named, gave patients large doses of midazolam and morphine, a sedative for reducing his workload during the night shifts. He was employed at a hospital in Wuerselen from 2020 after qualifying as a nurse in 2007.
The court observed that he showed “irritation” and a lack of empathy toward patients needing more care, and prosecutors accused him of playing “master of life and death.” He was arrested in 2024, the news added.
Investigations expand to other suspicious deaths
As per AFP, the prosecutors have ordered exhumations to learn about the possible victims, which could result in a new trial. The case is similar to the case of former nurse Neil Hogel, who was sentenced to life in 2019 for killing 85 patients, making him one of the most dangerous killers.
