Hundreds of Bodies, One Nurse: German Serial Killer Leaves as Many Questions as Victims

[dalton99a]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/10/world/europe/germany-serial-killer-nurse.html

Hundreds of Bodies, One Nurse: German Serial Killer Leaves as Many Questions as Victims
A nurse, Niels Högel, admitted to dozens of murders but might have killed as many as 300 patients. So what prevented colleagues from stopping one of the world’s deadliest serial killers?
By Melissa Eddy
May 10, 2019

OLDENBURG, Germany — The new nurse arrived at the intensive-care unit of Delmenhorst hospital with a solid letter of reference, describing him as someone who worked “independently and conscientiously.” In a crisis, it said, he reacted “with consideration” and was “technically correct.”

It gave no indication that officials at his former hospital in Oldenburg, Germany, had grown deeply suspicious about the number of deaths while the nurse, Niels Högel, was on duty. Or that they had barred him from contact with patients and effectively pushed him out.

Before long, similar suspicions arose at Delmenhorst. Within four months, a patient, Brigitte A., died under his care. Others, Hans S., Christoph K. and Josef Z., followed. All were identified with only a last initial under German privacy laws.

Today, Mr. Högel, 42, is considered the most prolific serial killer in the history of peacetime Germany, and perhaps in the world. Officials suspect that as many as 300 patients may have died by his hand over five years starting in 2000.


Mr. Högel arriving at a court hearing in Oldenburg last year. So far, he has confessed to killing 43 patients. But the authorities believe it could be more than 300. Mohssen Assanimoghaddam/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

[Beringia]

1. Wow, people really have their blinders on

[lpbk2713]

2. With that many victims ...

he might possibly be locked up wth someone related to one of the 300.

It might not be a pleasant experience for Niels.

[Hav]

3. A really shocking article

Not only because of the actual crimes but also the surrounding circumstances are terrifying.

It's noteworthy that what is called a recommendation letter here is something special in Germany and it might have played a part in him being able to continue what he did for way too long. If I understand it correctly, basically the employer cannot write recommendation letters that are (too) negative which would make it hard for to the employee to find work afterwards. The special parsing of these summaries of your work almost made it to a form of art. As a result, anything not on the very positive side could be seen as a red flag by the next employer. Sometimes these letters are even written by the employees themselves.
I only mention this as a side note for those wondering how he could still end up with positive recommendation letters even if people were already suspicious about him. That is one clear case showing the dangerous consequences of that system.

[Cousin Dupree]

4. Just like the pedophile priests in the Catholic Church. Take your problem and foist it on other

innocents by transferring the priest to another parish. Then you can continue to be cowards.