German police fear nurse held over killing had more victims

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities are investigating whether a male nurse suspected of killing and robbing a patient had any other victims, after further suspicious cases were reported Wednesday.

Munich police issued a public appeal for information about the work record of 36-year-old Grzegorz Stanislaw Wolsztajn, who was arrested last month on suspicion of killing an 87-year-old retiree with insulin shots. Wolsztajn confessed to stealing about 1,210 euros ($1,500) and two debit cards from the victim, police said.

In a rare move, Munich police published Wolsztajn’s full name and photograph in the hope of receiving information about his past movements. The suspect, who is Polish, told police that he had worked abroad as an untrained nurse since 2008, including in England and Germany, but declined to provide details.

Munich police said they were aware of at least four other former patients who were hospitalized with life-threatening conditions. One later died.

Police the western city of Mainz said Wednesday that a search warrant for Wolsztajn was issued in 2017 after he failed to show up at a patient’s home and a theft was suspected. Days later, the patients died.

News agency dpa reported that investigators had already received 26 tips on the suspect’s past jobs as a nurse across Germany.

The case echoes that of a German nurse serving a life sentence for two murders who was in January charged with killing 97 other patients.

A German group campaigning for patient safety called for official autopsies to become standard whenever someone receiving care dies.

“Nowhere else is it so easy to commit murder as in nursing,” said the group’s chairman, Eugen Brysch.