A palliative care nurse in Germany has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of murdering 10 patients and attempting to kill 27 others. The shocking crimes, committed between December 2023 and May 2024, took place at a hospital in Wuerselen, western Germany.
According to prosecutors, the unnamed nurse injected elderly patients with large doses of morphine and midazolam a sedative and muscle relaxant during overnight shifts. The aim, they said, was to make his workload lighter by sedating patients who required intensive care.
The court in Aachen described the crimes as having a “particular severity of guilt,” meaning the convict will not be eligible for early release after the standard 15-year minimum. Despite the life sentence, the man still retains the right to appeal the verdict.
Investigators revealed that the nurse, employed at the Wuerselen hospital since 2020, had completed his nursing training in 2007. During the trial, prosecutors accused him of displaying “irritation” and a disturbing lack of empathy toward patients who needed more attention, claiming he acted as a self-styled “master of life and death.”
Authorities have since launched exhumations to determine whether additional patients were victims of the nurse’s actions. If new evidence emerges, prosecutors have said he could face further charges.
The chilling case has drawn comparisons to that of Niels Högel, a former German nurse convicted in 2019 for murdering 85 patients in northern Germany between 1999 and 2005. Like Högel, the Wuerselen nurse’s crimes have reignited debates about hospital oversight, staffing levels, and mental health screening among healthcare workers.
As investigations continue, the case serves as a grim reminder of how systemic pressure and unchecked authority in healthcare settings can lead to tragic outcomes.
