Here’s Why Niels Hoegel Is Known as the World’s Most Prolific Serial Killer

In one of the medical industry’s rarest of rare cases, a German male nurse was found guilty of killing 87 patients by injecting them with heart medications and other drugs. He got pleasure by resuscitating them thereafter. The male nurse by the name of Niels Hoegel was successful in saving some of the lives after injecting them but there were others who lost their precious lives. He was also aware that he might lose patients during this dreadful experimentation.

The nurse’s shocking killing spree and the unusual methods he used to kill patients sets him apart from other serial killers. He is been labeled as the world’s most “prolific serial killer.” The irony of it all is the serial killer worked in a field that works towards saving lives.

Hoegel worked as a nurse in one hospital in Oldenburg between 1999 and 2002 and in another hospital in Delmenhorst from 2003 to 2005. According to dpa news agency, most of the killings took place between 2000 and 2005. Investigations reveal that the killings have taken place in both these hospitals. Sadly, most of these patients were on the path to recovery.

The serial killer has admitted in his first trial that he intentionally brought 90 cardiac arrests in patients in Delmenhorst as he enjoyed the feeling of bringing them back to life. It made him feel like a hero in the presence of others. This led to more investigations during which hospital files and records were reviewed and 134 bodies had to be exhumed from across 67 cemeteries.

Hoegel had a normal and protected childhood. Both his father and grandmother had been nurses and he was influenced by them to enter this field, however, things didn’t turn out the way it should have for this nurse. According to an expert who testified in the trial, Hoegel suffered from personality disorders.

The surprising factor, in this case, is how Hoegel didn’t come under the hospital’s suspicion for many years. According to Hoegel’s colleague, the hospital authorities remained silent despite knowing the truth because the hospital’s reputation was at stake.

The court in Oldenburg has sentenced him to life in prison for killing 85 patients. He was convicted earlier for two more killings. This serial killer had admitted to his crimes and apologized to the families of the victims saying, “To each and every one of you I sincerely apologize for all that I have done.”