Germany: Nurse Jailed For Killing 10 Patients To Reduce Workload During Night Shifts

A nurse is typically known for caring for patients, but a shocking incident in western Germany has brought shame upon the medical fraternity. A nurse has been sentenced to life imprisonment after a court found him guilty of murdering 10 patients and attempting to kill 27 others by administering lethal doses of sedatives and painkillers, prosecutors said, according to a report by the BBC.

Prosecutors stated that the nurse, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, killed mostly elderly patients by giving them sedatives or painkillers to lighten his workload during overnight shifts.

The killings took place between December 2023 and May 2024 at a hospital in Wurselen, western Germany. According to news agency AFP, the nurse completed his training as a nursing professional in 2007 and had been working at the Wurselen hospital since 2020.

The court observed that the accused showed “irritation” and a lack of empathy towards patients who required more care. Prosecutors further accused him of playing “master of life and death.” He was arrested in 2024, the report added.

Police are reportedly probing several other suspicious cases linked to his career.