this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2025

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343

German nurse gets life in jail after killing 10 to reduce work (www.bbc.com)

submitted 5 days ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

33 comments fedilink hide all child comments

A palliative care nurse in Germany has been sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of the murder of 10 patients and the attempted murder of 27 others.

Prosecutors alleged that the man, who has not been publicly named, injected his mostly elderly patients with painkillers or sedatives in an effort to ease his workload during shifts overnight.

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[–] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 27 points 4 days ago

Where I live (Philly suburb) there was an incident where a guy driving a 12,000 gallon gasoline truck pumped out 4000 gallons at his first gas station stop and then decided he just wanted to go home rather than making the rest of his deliveries. So he ran the hose to the back of the station and dumped the other 8000 gallons onto the ground. This happened to be right above a creek and about 200 feet from an elementary school.

It just doesn't make any sense how anybody could be this stupid. He got 20 years in prison for it or something like that. He certainly deserved it, but meanwhile executives who manage to create far worse disasters never see a day in jail.

[–] FosterMolasses@leminal.space 8 points 4 days ago

Creepy.

[–] SeeYouOsciLator@lemmy.wtf 4 points 4 days ago

Now with him in prison his coworkers have an even bigger workload. If I ever end up old and in pain, please feed me too much pain killers. You know what? I don't need to be old. Just give me the damn pills.

[–] Helix8o8@lemy.lol 31 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Like dude... JUST GET A DIFFERENT JOB. If that was actually why he started doing it. Of course, big if lol. Bro probably was just getting a power trip doing it. Sick freak

[–] cRazi_man@europe.pub 33 points 5 days ago (2 children)

This guy seems to be a serial killer with a long history. Don't know why they're highlighting that he did it all to "reduce work load".

More broadly, there's a hell of a lot of compassion fatigue in caring professions. Time is tight. There's understaffing everywhere. If an elderly person is complaining of pain or discomfort, the solution might be to spend some time with them and reposition them or get to the cause of the problem. I wouldn't be surprised if staff are rushed and take the quick and easy way out to just give medication instead.....which might accidentally have unintended side effects in an elderly person. But this case was nothing of the sort. This guy is just going around killing people.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

hospital admin probably is trying to cut corners by hiring less nurses,doctors, and putting pressure on the remaining staff. this is pretty much pervasive in the us too. allows them to deflect neglect accusations onto the nurses.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago

More broadly, there's a hell of a lot of compassion fatigue in caring professions.

It could be a warped sense of excess compassion, too. Some of these caregiver serial killers are "angel of death" types who think they're doing euthenasia.

(Not saying that's the case here, since OP's blurb gives a different motive and I can't be bothered to read further, but more broadly it seems to be a well-known thing.)

[–] chunes@lemmy.world 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

When I'm in palliative care, go ahead and murder me tbh.

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I think you mean hospice care. Otherwise, if you get in a bad car accident tomorrow you are requesting your nurse to kill you even if you are expected to recover.

I have also worked adjacent to hospice care and you would be surprised that people do recover from hospice care as well.

[–] dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de 10 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Palliative care is care for the terminally ill. You’re not recovering from that, although actual longevity can vary widely from doctor’s estimates.

NHS

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world -2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

No, that is hospice care.

Palliative care can be provided at any stage of a serious illness alongside curative treatments to manage symptoms, while hospice care is a specific type of palliative care for patients with a life expectancy of six months or less who have stopped curative treatments and are focused on comfort.

[–] ieGod@lemmy.zip 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

My cursory googling of definitions does not align with yours. Palliative seems to lean toward terminal illnesses, and your definition is largely only seen/used in the united states.

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

Fair enough, I worked adjacent with Hospice as a Care Coordinator for seniors. I am from Alaska so that is probably the difference. Cheers!

[–] dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Literally provided the definition from the NHS. So perhaps it is different in your country but even googling doesn’t align with your definition.

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

I read it. See below.

"Palliative care is defined by the World Health Organisation as an approach that improves the quality of life of patients (adults and children) and their families who are facing problems associated with life-limiting illness, usually progressive. It prevents and relieves suffering through the early identification, correct assessment and treatment of pain and other problems whether physical, psychosocial or spiritual.

In England, the term ‘end of life care’ refers to the last year of life."

So it is exactly what I said. Something something reading comprehension.

[–] MiddleAgesModem@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Palliative is essentially "we can't do anything, we'll make you comfortable". It is NOT used for someone expecting to recover. I'm not why you think "hospice" nd "palliative" are mutually exclusive.

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Not sure where you are getting this from. In the US and UK it does not mean you are dying, in fact you are still getting treatment. In the US this is termed as hospice care which is a part of palliative care when you are expected to die soon.

I looked it up in the UK and they call it end-of-life care which is also a form of palliative care.

I was a care coordinator for many years and I employed many personal care assistants that were trained by hospice nurses.

I received my fair share of employees calling balling their eyes out because their elder had passed away. I also have had the privilege of being there with several people who passed away.

[–] dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de 0 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I am from the Uk and it does mean you’re dying. I literally provided information from the National Health Service.

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

From NHS

In England, the term ‘end of life care’ refers to the last year of life."

That's is not what it says.

[–] JensSpahnpasta@feddit.org 25 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It's totally infuriating how that goes. Every few years some serial killer is exposed working in hospitals or care homes. Sobody really cares. This news about a serial killer killing 10 is not even headline news. Others have killed over 80 people and nobody really cares, nobody is trying to improve the situation so that people like them can't kill. But if some migrant harms someone with a knife, everybody totally freaks out.

[–] fonix232@fedia.io 17 points 5 days ago

The media doesn't care. People do, but the media hasn't been for the benefit of the people for quite a while now.

[–] tornavish@lemmy.cafe 11 points 5 days ago

That’s one way to get your break

[–] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Wasn’t this an episode of Dexter?

[–] hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

In the Dexter episode the nurse just hated and killed people with unhealthy lifestyles and causing extra workload for medical staff

Yeah actually it sounds just the same, life imitates art

[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 1 points 3 days ago

It was also the revenge plot for season 2 of Scream Queens. Lazy pos hospital actively killed a dude that should have lived and said he up and abonded his family so they go back to the party.

[–] dditty@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 5 days ago

There's also The Good Nurse and Jessie Buckley's character from Fargo season 4

[–] radiouser@crazypeople.online 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Sounds like their plan kinda worked.

[–] Prove_your_argument@piefed.social 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It's Germany, not Louisiana. The logic checks out. They won't have to work ever again.

[–] remon@ani.social 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

They won’t have to work ever again.

It's still possible. Even with the particular severity of guilt, life sentences are usually commuted to probation after 16 to 20 years, which would still give him 7 to 3 years until retirement age.

[–] Prove_your_argument@piefed.social 2 points 5 days ago

Honestly if I was 3-7 years from retirement and I had a choice between a somewhat comfortable prison or going to some shit job because no one will hire me as a felon...

Really depends what their priorities are at that point. Who is left in their life who still cares about them, knowing they were murdering people left and right.

I'm guessing they'll get out after 16 years and find some way to not work, if they get out.

[–] YeahToast@aussie.zone 1 points 4 days ago

There really isn't enough context in this article to make comment. Were the doses provided at the prescribed dose and time? Did the patients analgesia match reported pain scales and clinical pattern for pathology? Was there difference in PRN use for his shift and others? Presumably all information that would have been pulled apart in the trial

[–] theoneandonlyeggboi@lemmings.world 1 points 5 days ago

That's so unbelievably fucked up.

May he rot in a cell for the rest of his days.

[–] Vex_Detrause@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 days ago

If it's the same as other country, patient dying in your work is the busiest part of the day. The paperwork, phone calls and wrapping the body. Most nurses pray for patients to die after they clock out due to paperwork alone.