Niels Högel: The German Nurse Who Killed 85 Patients While Pretending to Save Their Lives

He was supposed to protect patients during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Instead, Niels Högel became one of Germany’s most notorious serial killers, convicted of murdering 85 patients entrusted to his care.

The former German nurse worked at hospitals in Oldenburg and Delmenhorst between 1999 and 2005. Behind the doors of these medical facilities, investigators eventually uncovered a disturbing pattern of unexplained emergencies, repeated resuscitation attempts and deaths that raised questions about what was happening during his shifts.

A Killer Hiding Behind a Medical Uniform

According to prosecutors, Högel deliberately administered medications that triggered life-threatening cardiac problems in patients. He would then attempt to resuscitate them, apparently seeking recognition from colleagues when he managed to bring them back.

Not every patient survived.

The victims in the cases brought to trial ranged in age from 34 to 96. Many were already seriously ill, making it difficult at first to identify a connection between their deaths.

Colleagues reportedly gave Högel the nickname “Resuscitation Rambo” because of his frequent involvement in emergency resuscitation efforts.

What initially appeared to be a series of medical crises eventually became one of Germany’s largest murder investigations.

The Incident That Exposed Him

In 2005, colleagues at a hospital in Delmenhorst caught Högel administering an unprescribed medication to a patient. The incident prompted an investigation that eventually expanded to include other suspicious deaths during his employment.

As investigators examined hospital records and reviewed earlier cases, the number of suspected victims grew. Authorities also exhumed former patients’ remains in an effort to find evidence of drugs that could have caused fatal cardiac events.

The investigation revealed a troubling pattern: unexplained deaths and resuscitation attempts had increased during periods when Högel was working.

However, establishing responsibility in individual cases was difficult. Some patients had been cremated, eliminating the possibility of further forensic examination, while other deaths could not be conclusively linked to him.

Investigators believed the actual number of victims might be higher than the number that could be proved in court.

Convicted of 85 Murders

Högel had already received a life sentence in 2015 for two murders and two attempted murders.

His most extensive trial concluded in June 2019. He had been charged with murdering 100 patients, but the court convicted him of 85 murders and acquitted him of 15 counts because the evidence was insufficient.

During the proceedings, Högel admitted to some killings but disputed others or said he could not remember what had happened. He also apologized to the victims’ families.

The judge described the crimes as extraordinarily difficult to comprehend. The verdict established Högel as the perpetrator of 85 murders, although investigators suspected that additional deaths might never be fully explained.

Why the Case Still Raises Questions

Beyond the scale of the murders, the case raised serious questions about how a nurse could continue harming patients over several years without being stopped sooner.

Families of the victims sought answers about missed warning signs, hospital oversight and whether earlier intervention could have prevented further deaths.

The case also highlighted the difficulties of investigating suspected killings in hospitals, where patients may already be critically ill and a sudden death can initially appear medically plausible.

In March 2026, a German court determined that Högel must serve at least 28 years in prison because of the exceptional seriousness of his crimes. The decision means that release after the usual 15-year minimum for a life sentence is ruled out, although any eventual release would depend on further legal and risk assessments.

For the families who lost loved ones, the convictions provided legal recognition of crimes that had remained hidden for years. But the full scope of the deaths associated with Högel’s time in hospitals may never be known.

Source:  eltiempo