A former nurse, believed to be the deadliest serial killer in Germany’s post-war history, was convicted of murdering 85 patients.
Niels Hoegel, 42, was sentenced to life in prison by an Oldenburg court judge on Thursday, according to the German news agency Deutsche Welle.
Hoegel previously admitted that he intentionally injected patients with drugs to induce cardiac arrests because he liked the praise he received when he resuscitated them.{mosads}
His coworkers said he was nicknamed “Resuscitation Rambo,” but prosecutors said he could not always bring them back.
Hoegel was accused in nearly 100 patients’ deaths between 1999 and 2005 at two different hospitals in Germany.
He was convicted on 85 counts, and Hoegel admitted to 55 of those killings.
The court in Oldenburg handed down Germany’s most severe form of a life sentence, which precludes the chance of an early release after serving 15 years, Deutsche Welle reported.
Hoegel was previously convicted in 2015 of two murders and two attempted murders and is already serving a life sentence. There are no consecutive sentences under German law, but the court’s ruling on the seriousness of the crimes will likely ensure he will remain incarcerated.
Hoegel testified during his seven-month trial that he had a “protected” childhood and was inspired to become a nurse because his grandmother and father were both in the profession, The Associated Press reported.
“Now I sit here fully convinced that I want to give every relative an answer,” Hoegel said during the trial. “I am really sorry.”
He apologized in his closing court statement and said he realized how much pain he caused, the AP noted.
“To each and every one of you I sincerely apologize for all that I have done,” Hoegel said.