A male nurse already convicted of murdering several patients has now been found to have murdered at least 86 people under his watch.
- Germany’s worst serial killer
- Killing spree lasted five years
- Fellow hospital staff noticed abnormalities but took no action
- Currently serving life sentence
Niels Högel admitted to intentionally inducing cardiac arrest by overdosing medication in 90 of his patients. He said he enjoyed trying to revive his patients, as reported by the New York Times.
The nurse was previously sentenced to life in prison in 2015 on two counts each of murder and attempted murder.
But during the trial, he confessed to killing many more by injecting patients with a cardiovascular drug in order to then resuscitate them, which sometimes failed.
Touted as Germany’s worst serial killer, he reportedly chose his victims at random.
Chief police investigator Arne Schmidt told the Guardian newspaper that there was evidence for at least 90 murders.
The total number could be greater still but will remain unknown as some of the deceased were cremated.
It was reported that Högel’s killing spree started in 2000 in Oldenburg where he murdered at least 35 patients before moving to a hospital in Delmenhorst where within a week he killed a patient.
Using a vast array of drugs to induce a medical emergency, his behavior did not go unnoticed by fellow hospital staff but was never reported on.
The number of deaths in the intensive care unit doubled while he was at the hospital but no action was taken.
In 2005, Högel killed his final patient by injecting the drug ajmaline. It was reported by a fellow staff member who witnessed what would be his last lethal injection administered but hospital management did not act on it for two days.
Now six employees of the hospital have been charged with negligent manslaughter for their failure to take action.
Although already serving a life sentence, it is expected that Högel will be tried on further charges based on findings from the investigation.