German Nurse Jailed for Life After Killing 10 Patients, Attempting to Murder 27 Others

A German court has sentenced a 44-year-old nurse to life imprisonment for murdering ten patients and attempting to kill 27 more in one of the most shocking medical crime cases in the country’s history.

The Aachen Regional Court delivered the ruling on Wednesday, finding the palliative care nurse guilty of administering lethal doses of sedatives and painkillers to vulnerable patients under his care between December 2023 and May 2024 at a hospital in Würselen, near Aachen.

Judges ruled that the crimes carried a “particular severity of guilt,” meaning the convict will not be eligible for early parole after 15 years — the standard under German law.

Prosecutors described the nurse, whose name remains undisclosed due to Germany’s privacy laws, as a man who “played god” with the lives of his patients, exploiting his position of trust to kill mostly elderly and terminally ill victims.

The investigation revealed that he injected patients with excessive doses of morphine and midazolam — drugs typically used for sedation but deadly in high quantities. Prosecutors argued that his motive was to reduce his workload during night shifts, showing “no compassion or remorse.”

Psychiatric evaluations presented during the trial described him as emotionally detached, suffering from a personality disorder, and devoid of empathy for those in his care.

The former nurse began his career in 2007 and worked in several hospitals across Germany, including Cologne, before joining the Würselen facility in 2020. He was arrested in mid-2024 after a series of suspicious deaths triggered an internal probe.

Authorities have since exhumed multiple bodies as investigators work to determine whether more victims may be linked to the convicted killer, raising the possibility of additional charges.