A German nurse was found guilty on Wednesday of killing 10 seriously ill patients in palliative care to lighten his workload during night shifts.

The regional court in Aachen sentenced him to life imprisonment and ruled that, due to the severity of his crimes, he will not be eligible for parole after the minimum 15-year term.

To this day, it remains unclear how many patients the 44-year-old health care worker has killed.

According to prosecutors, 13 people died after the man administered sedatives, sometimes in combination with painkillers, while working at a clinic near the western city of Aachen between December 2023 and May 2024.

Initially, he was charged with nine counts of murder and 34 counts of attempted murder, but as proceedings drew to a close, the court was convinced that the defendant had killed a 10th person.

It found him guilty of attempted murder in 27 cases.

Prosecutors accused the nurse of sedating patients to ease his workload during night shifts. The defendant said he did not administer medication in order to end someone’s life.

The defence team had called for his acquittal.

Investigators continue to examine additional suspected cases from previous years, and prosecutors in Aachen have indicated that further charges are likely.

(dpa/NAN)