Serial killers have evolved. They can take your life in places where lives are saved and dress up in scrubs.
Niels Hoegel, a nurse used to induce cardiac arrest in patients and showing off his resuscitating skills to his colleagues and fight boredom. He used to feel hyped up every time he brought a patient back to life. Though he is accused of killing 85, the numbers might climb as high as 200.
The killer felt like the savior. The devil felt like God.
He was convicted on June 6 of 85 counts of murder, making him the worst serial killer in modern German history. The court sentenced 42-year-old Niels Hoegel to life in prison.
The killings took place between 2000 and 2005. His victims ranged in age between 34 and 96. Hoegel was convicted in 2015 of two murders and two attempted murders and is already currently serving a life sentence.
During his trial in 2015, Hoegel said he intentionally brought about cardiac crises by lethal injection in around 90 patients in Delmenhorst because he was thrilled to be able to resuscitate them. He later told investigators that he also killed patients in Oldenburg on 100 counts.
Police investigated hundreds of deaths, studying post mortem reports of bodies of former patients. Hoegel admitted to 43 of the killings, disputed five, and said he couldn’t remember the other 52. Police suspect the killer’s final death toll may be more than 200. Goes without saying, the court also banned him from practicing nursing for life. Der Spiegel, a publication in Germany, reported that police investigators had identified a total of 322 potential victims.