A 44-year-old nurse in Germany has been sentenced to life imprisonment for unaliving 10 patients and attempting to murder 27 others with lethal injections in a bid to reduce his workload.
Prosecutors accused the unnamed nurse of playing “master of life and death” over those in his care while working at a hospital in Wuerselen, near the city of Aachen in western Germany.
The court found her guilty of committing the offences between December 2023 and May 2024.
According to prosecutors, the nurse injected mostly elderly patients with high doses of sedatives and painkillers, including morphine and midazolam, a muscle relaxant also used in executions in the United States, simply to lighten her duties during night shifts.
She was described as having a severe personality disorder and showing no compassion or remorse throughout the trial.
Prosecutors told the court that the nurse “worked without enthusiasm, with no motivation,” and displayed “irritation and lack of empathy” toward patients requiring intensive care.
The court determined that his crimes carried a “particular severity of guilt,” meaning she will not be eligible for early release after 15 years, which is typically possible under German law.
