Germany: Nurse Convicted of Killing 10 Patients and Investigation Continues to Discover More Victims

A German court has sentenced a nurse at the Rhein-Maas Hospital in Vorellen, west of Bonn, to life imprisonment after convicting him of killing 10 patients and attempting to kill 27 others between December 2023 and May 2024.

Investigations Reveal More Victims

The public prosecutor in Aachen, Katja Schlinkermann-Betz, confirmed that investigations into other suspicious cases are ongoing, with potential victims numbering up to 100 deaths. Investigators explained that exhumations are currently taking place for thorough autopsies as part of the expanded investigations.

Method of Crime

During the trial, prosecutors showed that the nurse targeted patients during the night shift by administering large doses of sedatives and painkillers, especially those suffering from critical health conditions, leading to death. Preliminary investigations indicate that most of the re-examined cases date back to before 2020, since the beginning of his work at the hospital.

Exhumation of More Bodies and Additional Investigations

Officials plan to exhume about 60 additional bodies as part of the expanded investigation, while authorities in Cologne, where the nurse previously worked, have initiated a separate investigation into other potential cases.

Criminal's Denial and Authorities' Determination to Convict

Despite the ruling and conviction, the nurse still insists on his innocence, claiming he was unaware that the doses he was administering could be fatal. However, this claim has been rejected by hospital officials, police, prosecutors, and the jury.