Germany tries Niels Hoegel, ‘serial killer’ nurse accused of murdering 100 playing God
- Niels Hoegel injected patients with drugs that cause heart failure or circulatory collapse so he could then try to revive them
- The dangerous game left more than 100 patients dead
German nurse Niels Hoegel, already serving a lengthy term for previous killings, will go on trial before anguished relatives Tuesday over the murders of around 100 more people - a spree prosecutors say is unprecedented in the post-war period.
The 41-year-old is accused of intentionally administering medical overdoses to patients in his care to be able to bring them back to life at the last moment.
He rarely succeeded.
Prosecutors say at least 35 patients were killed at a hospital in the northern city of Oldenburg where he worked, and about 64 more in nearby Delmenhorst, between 2000 and 2005.
“I hope that he will be found guilty on each count so that the loved ones can finally find some closure,” said Petra Klein, who runs the local chapter of the victims’ aid group Weisser Ring.
Some 126 relatives will serve as co-plaintiffs in the new trial and are expected to fill the specially designated courtroom in Oldenburg, along with around 80 journalists.