In a chilling case that has sent shockwaves through the medical community and beyond, a former nurse from a clinic near Aachen, Germany faces charges involving patient deaths and attempted murders. The 44-year-old male nurse was accused of murdering nine patients and attempting to murder another 34. The charges, announced in mid-February 2025 by the Aachen prosecutor's office, initially included five murders and 25 attempted murders but expanded as the investigations continued uninterrupted, reported Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The investigation focused on the nurse's actions at the Rhein-Maas-Klinikum in Würselen, where he was assigned to the palliative care unit. This unit is dedicated to patients who are severely and incurably ill. The public prosecutor's office suspected that the nurse injected his victims with overdoses of painkillers or sedatives, sometimes in combination with other medications, to ensure his shifts remained calm.
The alleged crimes occurred from December 2023 to May 2024. Süddeutsche Zeitung noted that some patients were not only terminally ill but were also preparing for discharge, with conditions that were improving.
As the investigation progressed, the number of potential victims increased. Initially, the cases involved five murders and 25 attempts, but the public prosecutor added charges for four more murders and nine additional attempted murders. This supplementary indictment was filed two weeks before the trial was set to commence at the Aachen District Court. Bild reported that law enforcement had taken extraordinary measures, including exhuming at least four bodies, to establish the exact number of victims.
The nurse was arrested in July 2024 following an arrest warrant as suspicions grew around the unusual rise in patient fatalities and incidents during his shifts.
Court proceedings are set to begin with the trial scheduled for March 24 at the Aachen District Court. The court must also decide whether the subsequently charged cases will be tried alongside the initial charges. Focus Online revealed that a corresponding supplementary indictment has been received, which the court will consider in the upcoming legal process.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.