Nurse convicted of killing 85 patients loses appeal

Berlin, September 11

A German federal court has rejected a former nurse’s appeal of his murder conviction and life sentence for killing 85 patients by deliberately bringing about cardiac arrests.

Niels Hoegel was convicted by a court in the northwestern city of Oldenburg in June 2019. On Friday, the Federal Court of Justice said it had thrown out his appeal in a September 1 decision, finding no procedural or other errors with the verdict.

Hoegel injected patients with overdoses of heart medication and other drugs because he enjoyed the feeling of being able to resuscitate them.

Sometimes he succeeded in bringing them back, but in at least 87 cases the patients died, making him what is believed to be modern Germany’s most prolific serial killer. Last year’s verdict came on top of a 2015 conviction for two murders and two attempted murders, for which he was already serving a life sentence.

The trial court noted in its verdict the “particular seriousness” of Hoegel’s crimes, a finding that all but ensures he will remain incarcerated after the 15 years of a life sentence typically served in Germany is up. It is also banned him for life from working in patient care or rescue.– AP