A regional court in Aachen, western Germany, on Wednesday sentenced a 44-year-old male nurse to life imprisonment for ten counts of murder and 27 counts of attempted murder after finding that he had administered lethal injections to patients in a palliative care unit.

According to the judgment, the defendant committed the crimes between December 2023 and May 2024 at a clinic in Wuerselen, near Aachen. He gave sedatives, sometimes mixed with painkillers, to severely ill patients without medical authorization.

The court determined the particular severity of guilt, effectively ruling out the possibility of release after 15 years. The verdict followed the prosecution's request.

Prosecutors said that his motive was to keep patients quiet during his night shifts so he could avoid work. The defendant denied the charges, insisting during the trial, which began in March, that he had never intended to shorten patients' lives. His defense team had called for an acquittal.

Authorities are now investigating other suspicious deaths at the nurse's previous workplaces, suggesting the total number of victims may be higher.