German serial killer nurse appeals life term for 85 murders

Germany’s most prolific serial killer in the country’s post-war history has appealed his life sentence for 85 murders, a district court said Tuesday. Former nurse Nils Hoegel, 42, was convicted last week for killing patients chosen at random by lethal injection. The murder spree of patients aged between 34 to 96 took place between 2000 and 2005 before he was finally caught in the act.

“I can inform you that the defendant has now lodged an appeal,” Melanie Bitter, a spokeswoman for the court in Oldenburg, said Tuesday without adding further details. Last Thursday’s judgement brought the official number of victims to 91 as Hoegel had previously been convicted for six other murders.

Police suspect that Hoegel’s final death toll may be more than 200. However, it may never be known exactly how many people he killed because many likely victims were cremated before autopsies could be performed, and because of gaps in Hoegel’s memory.