Prosecutors in Germany are investigating a former palliative care nurse, identified by media as Ulrich S., for over 100 additional suspicious deaths. The 44-year-old is already serving a life sentence after being convicted last year of murdering 10 elderly patients and attempting to murder 27 others by administering lethal doses of sedatives and painkillers.
The investigation into the new cases is being led by Aachen prosecutors, who are examining 121 potential deaths, some dating back to September 2022. Nearly 40 bodies have been exhumed as part of this expanded inquiry. The motive for the original crimes, which occurred between December 2023 and May 2024 at the Rhein-Maas-Klinikum in Wuerselen, was reportedly to reduce the nurse's workload.
In a separate probe, prosecutors in Cologne are reviewing another 18 cases, with some incidents possibly occurring as far back as 2010. Ulrich S. is believed to have worked at a hospital in Cologne before his tenure in Wuerselen. Investigators are looking into whether suspicious deaths occurred during his previous employment there.
The 44-year-old's conviction included a finding of "particular severity of guilt," which bars him from early release after 15 years, a standard possibility for life sentences in Germany. The court heard that he administered excessive medication doses without proper medical orders and worked without empathy for his patients.
This case has reignited concerns in Germany about how healthcare workers can allegedly administer lethal doses of medication undetected. It draws parallels to the case of Niels Hoegel, another German nurse convicted in 2019 for murdering 85 patients between 2000 and 2005. The recent events also follow the sentencing of a palliative care doctor in Berlin last month to life in prison for murdering 15 people, with investigations continuing into his possible involvement in other deaths.