Life Sentence for Two Drug-Related Murders
Also Mentioned Resemblance to Nils Hoegel
A caregiver at a nursing home in Germany is under investigation for intentionally overdosing elderly patients under their care, resulting in their deaths.
According to Yonhap News on the 9th, local media including the daily S?ddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) reported that the Bremen District Court sentenced Manuel W (44), who was charged with murder, to life imprisonment.
He was charged with killing two residents at a nursing home in Bremen in 2019 by administering overdoses of the diabetes medication insulin and the hypertension and angina treatment drug metoprolol. The court later found him guilty.
The court also mentioned that Manuel W's motive was a "desire to be recognized by others." It was pointed out that he sought to reveal himself by confirming the deaths of the residents. Earlier, the prosecution stated at the time of indictment in November last year that he wanted to present himself as a savior.
In addition to this crime, Manuel W was serving a five-year prison sentence for injury and abuse charges from 2020. During this trial, he was additionally charged after it was revealed that he killed three people in a similar manner between 2010 and 2011.
The prosecution and police are investigating a total of nine cases involving Manuel W, so the number of victims may increase.
In 2018, nurse Nils Hoegel (far right), who was additionally charged with killing 100 patients, is attending the trial at the Oldenburg District Court in Germany, covering his face with a blue file folder. On the left are his lawyers. [Photo by EPA/Yonhap News]
Local media reported that this case bears many similarities to the nurse Nils H?gel (47) case, considered the worst serial killings in postwar Germany. This case is regarded as one of the most horrific and chilling mass murder incidents in Europe since World War II.
From 1999 to 2005, H?gel worked as a nurse in German hospitals and killed over 100 patients with drugs. German prosecutors stated that his motives were "boredom" and a "hero complex."
He injected patients with drugs such as lidocaine and calcium chloride, which can cause fatal side effects when overdosed, without a doctor's prescription, then attempted to resuscitate them. He wanted to be praised by those around him for saving patients. However, most attempts failed, and the patients died. Ultimately, his intention was to showcase his skills, and he explained, "I wanted to escape boredom."
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