German Nurse Jailed For Killing 10 Patients Could Be Linked To 100 More Deaths

A former nurse convicted of murdering 10 patients in western Germany may be linked to more than 100 additional deaths, officials say.

Katja Schlenkermann-Pitts, chief public prosecutor in Aachen, told the BBC there are “a correspondingly high number of suspicious cases” under review, though she warned the suspicions are preliminary and some could be dismissed after forensic examination.

The unnamed former palliative care nurse was convicted in November 2025 of 10 counts of murder and 27 counts of attempted murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The court found that during night shifts at Würselen’s Rhein-Maas hospital, he administered excessive doses of sedatives and painkillers to seriously ill patients without medical justification, sometimes repeatedly, knowing the potentially fatal consequences.

Judges said his actions were driven by personal unease and a desire to impose order.

The nurse denied the charges, claiming he intended only to help patients sleep and had not believed the drugs posed a lethal risk.

Prosecutors argued he showed irritation and a lack of empathy toward patients needing more care, accusing him of acting as “master of life and death.”

The offences in the original trial occurred between December 2023 and May 2024; the new suspected cases relate largely to earlier periods.

As part of the expanded inquiry, investigators have ordered around 60 exhumations, with 27 already carried out and about 30 more pending.

Schlenkermann-Pitts said that autopsy results are awaited and will determine whether further charges can be brought.

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