German Nurse Jailed For 10 Murders May Be Linked To Up To 100 More Deaths, Prosecutors Say

A nurse in Germany who was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of 10 murders and 27 attempted murders may be connected to many more deaths, prosecutors say. Authorities have opened new inquiries and are exhuming dozens of bodies to carry out fresh autopsies.

Conviction and timeline

In November 2025 the nurse received a life sentence after a court found him guilty of killing 10 patients and attempting to murder 27 others. The crimes cited at trial occurred between December 2023 and May 2024 at the Rhein-Maas Hospital in Würselen, a town roughly 50 miles (80 km) west of Bonn near the Dutch border.

New probes and exhumations

Katja Schlenkermann-Pitts, the chief public prosecutor in nearby Aachen, told the BBC that investigators are reviewing "a correspondingly high number of suspicious cases" and now believe the total number of potential victims could reach as many as 100. As part of the renewed examination, authorities plan to exhume about 60 bodies so pathologists can perform new postmortems; officials are also awaiting additional autopsy reports on other cases under review.

Separate inquiry in Cologne

Prosecutors in Cologne have launched a separate probe into deaths from the period when the nurse worked in that city. Investigators say many of the files now being reexamined predate the nurse's employment at Rhein-Maas, where he had worked since 2020.

Allegations about methods

During the original trial prosecutors alleged the nurse administered large doses of sedatives and strong painkillers while working night shifts, often selecting patients who were already seriously ill. Hospital administrators, police and the jury rejected the defendant's account of unintended overdoses.

Defendant's stance and next steps

The accused continues to assert his innocence, claiming he did not realize he was giving fatal doses. It remains unclear whether prosecutors will bring additional charges after the ongoing autopsies and investigations conclude. Authorities say the process could take time as forensic work and legal reviews continue.

"We are examining a correspondingly high number of suspicious cases," Katja Schlenkermann-Pitts told the BBC, underscoring the scale of the ongoing review.

The inquiries highlight broader questions about patient safety and oversight in the hospitals where the nurse worked; investigators say their priority is to determine whether other deaths were criminally caused and to secure justice for victims' families.