A male nurse in Germany has been accused of murdering nine vulnerable patients in a hospice ward to facilitate quieter night shifts.
The 44-year-old, whose identity has not been disclosed, is alleged to have attempted to kill an additional 34 patients between December 2023 and May 2024.
Prosecutors claim that the nurse administered lethal overdoses of sedatives and painkillers to his victims in the palliative care unit of the Rhein-Maas Klinikum in Wurselen, western Germany.
Some victims reportedly survived multiple attempts on their lives, while others were on the verge of leaving the ward after recovering from their illnesses.
As investigators continue to pursue additional allegations, this case, set to commence at Aachen Regional Court on March 24, could become the largest medical murder trial in Germany’s history.
A spokesman for the prosecution stated, “The nurse sought to have trouble-free night shifts with minimal disturbance from patients.”
Court proceedings will reveal the methods the nurse used during his alleged killing spree at the clinic, and authorities anticipate that more cases may come to light in the weeks ahead.
Hospital administrators grew suspicious of the unusually high death rate in the ward and reported their concerns to the police, who subsequently exhumed victims’ bodies and discovered dangerously elevated levels of sedatives.
The nurse was arrested in July 2024 amid rising concerns regarding the spike in patient deaths during his shifts and has remained in custody since then.
This trial bears unsettling similarities to the 2024 case involving Berlin doctor Johannes M., who is accused of killing 10 patients but is suspected of murdering up to 50 more for the thrill of it.
