Wuerselen, November 7: A shocking case from Germany has stunned the medical community after a nurse was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering 10 patients and attempting to kill 27 others to “reduce his night workload.” The crimes occurred between December 2023 and May 2024 at a hospital in Wuerselen, Western Germany.

According to prosecutors, the unnamed male nurse administered lethal doses of sedatives and painkillers to elderly patients during overnight shifts. The court in Aachen described the crimes as “particularly severe,” meaning he has little chance of parole even after serving the mandatory 15-year minimum for life imprisonment in Germany. Germany: Ex-Nurse Niels Hoegel Admits Killing 100 Patients Out of 'Boredom'.

The nurse, who began working at the hospital in 2020 after completing his nursing training in 2007, was arrested in 2024. Authorities told AFP that exhumations are currently underway to identify additional potential victims, which could lead to further charges and another trial. US Shocker: Nurse Charged With Killing Two Patients Through Excessive Insulin Doses Confesses To Attempting to Murder 19 More People in Pennsylvania.

Prosecutors alleged the killings were premeditated and motivated by the nurse’s desire to lighten his workload during night duty. Investigators are also reviewing other suspicious deaths linked to his career in healthcare.

The chilling case echoes that of former nurse Niels Högel, who was convicted in 2019 for murdering 85 patients at hospitals in northern Germany between 1999 and 2005, making him one of the country’s most notorious serial killers.

While the convicted nurse’s name remains undisclosed under German privacy laws, authorities have confirmed that his sentence can be appealed. The case has reignited debates around hospital supervision, patient safety, and psychological screening of medical staff in Germany’s healthcare system.

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