Overview
- The Landgericht Aachen convicted the 44-year-old of ten murders and 27 attempted murders and imposed a life sentence with a finding of especially severe guilt.
- Judges concluded he gave unauthorized overdoses of sedatives, sometimes with painkillers, to palliative patients in Würselen between December 2023 and May 2024 to secure quiet during night shifts.
- The court said lax documentation and unchecked drug orders on the ward enabled the crimes, urging greater scrutiny of medication controls.
- Prosecutors had argued for up to 13 completed murders; the original indictment listed nine murders and 34 attempts before the court settled on ten and 27.
- The defendant denies intent to shorten lives as his lawyers sought acquittal, while prosecutors in Aachen and Cologne continue probes and signal a likely new indictment.