German nurse jailed for murder could face investigation into 100 more deaths

A former nurse who murdered 10 patients in western Germany may be linked to the deaths of more than 100 others, an official said.

Aachen chief prosecutor Katja Schlenkermann-Pitts told the BBC that a “correspondingly large number of suspicious cases” were under review.

She warned that the cases were only preliminary suspicions and some could be dismissed after forensic examinations.

In November last year, the Aachen regional court found the unnamed former palliative care nurse guilty of 10 counts of murder and 27 counts of attempted murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

The court found that during a night shift at a hospital in Würselen, Man overdosed on sedatives and painkillers to seriously ill patient without medical reason.

Prosecutors said the drugs were sometimes given repeatedly and the defendants knew of the potentially fatal consequences. The judge concluded that the actions were caused by personal restlessness and a desire to maintain order during the night shift.

The defendant denied the charges at his trial in Aachen, saying his intention was to help the patient sleep and that he did not believe the drug posed a fatal risk given the patient’s underlying disease.

But prosecutors told the court he showed “irritation” and a lack of empathy towards patients who needed a higher level of care and accused him of playing “a guru of life and death”.

The offenses examined in the preliminary hearing took place between December 2023 and May 2024 at the Rhinemaas hospital in Würselen, where the nurse had worked since 2020.

The newly discovered suspected cases are mainly related to the early stage.

Investigators have ordered the exhumation of about 60 bodies as part of a widening investigation. 27 have been implemented and approximately 30 remain to be implemented.

Schlenkman-Pitts said autopsy results are still pending in many cases and will determine whether further charges can be filed.

“Of course, they may still be discarded,” she warned.

Cologne prosecutors are also investigating deaths linked to the hospital where the nurse worked before being transferred to Würselen, 65 kilometers (40 miles) away.

Two exhumations have been carried out so far, including the remains of a 94-year-old woman who died in 2018, and a 78-year-old patient who died in 2015. Further excavations have been ordered.

Prosecutors in Aachen and Cologne said preparations for potential new charges were underway, but officials said any further proceedings were unlikely to begin before 2027.