Nurse charged with murdering nine patients goes on trial in Germany

A nurse charged with murdering nine patients through overdoses goes on trial in western Germany on Monday.

The 44-year-old faces nine counts of murder and 34 counts of attempted murder.

The crimes are alleged to have taken place in a hospital in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia between December 2023 and May 2024.

According to the indictment, the nurse is said to have injected a total of 26 patients in the palliative care ward with heavily sedating medication, at times in combination with painkillers and in some cases multiple times.

Nine patients ultimately died as a result.

Prosecutors allege that the nurse wanted to sedate the patients to minimize his workload in the hospital.

The investigation was launched after irregularities were discovered at the hospital.

There have so far been a total of five exhumations in order to autopsy the dead, said a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office in Aachen.

Prosecutors are investigating whether there are more linked cases.