Nurse receives life sentence for murdering 10 patients

A nurse in Germany has been convicted of murdering 10 patients and was given a life sentence in prison for the crimes.

Key Takeaways:

• A palliative care nurse in Germany has been convicted of murdering 10 patients and attempting to murder another 27.

• He is said to have injected the elderly patients with pain killers or sedatives to reduce his workload.

• He has been sentenced to life in prison.

• An investigation is continuing into similar incidents that occurred during his career.

The Details:

A 44-year-old palliative care nurse, referred to as nurse A, was convicted and sentenced last week for the murders of 10 patients, as well as the attempted murders of 27 others. He was given a life sentence for the crimes. The minimum time he can serve of that life sentence is 15 years; however, because of the severity of the crime, he is not likely to be released that early. He has also been barred from working as a nurse.

The murders were carried out between December 2023 and May 2024 at a clinic in western Germany. The nurse is said to have injected the most elderly of the patients with painkillers or sedatives in order to ease his workload for the night. One of the drugs he reportedly used was midazolam, a sedative used in some U.S. states for executions. He also used morphine.

While A's attorney argued it could not be proven that the patients had died only from the drugs, A stated, "Sleep is the best medicine. I only tried to care for patients well by putting them to sleep, unaware the drugs would be that lethal." However, a medical professional like a nurse should be well aware of lethal levels of drugs.

According to Reuters, A can appeal the verdict, but investigators are looking into other incidents that occurred during his career and are having bodies exhumed. Depending on the findings, he could face another trial for more deaths.

The Bottom Line:

"[Nurse] A worked without passion or motivation," argued prosecutors. "He did not empathize or feel compassion for patients, and grew irritated when encountering those requiring higher-level care. Even during the trial, A showed no sign of remorse."