Witnesses to Niels Högel: A murderer, supposedly inconspicuous

Little time? At the end of the text there is a summary.

Psychiatrist Henning Saß can not hide his astonishment at the alleged and almost complete ignorance of the witnesses. In the trial of serial killer Niels Högel in the district court of Oldenburg Saß should give an opinion on an important question: Was the former nurse may be only guilty less, as he killed one patient after another?

Sat is at the beginning of his task. He was commissioned last week as a consultant. His predecessor, Konstantin Karyofilis, left the trial because of serious illness. In addition to Saß another expert tries to find out what kind of personality Niels Högel is. Legal psychologist Max Steller should comment on the credibility of the information Högels.

For Saß it is now about the question of whether Högel was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, when he injected drugs first in the Klinikum Oldenburg, then in the clinic Delmenhorst patients, which should have led to their death in at least 100 cases. So sat asks Högel's former colleagues who testify before the jury chamber, if they have noticed something.

DPA

Appraiser Henning sat in the courtroom

Högel's supervisor at Klinikum Oldenburg, Deputy Head of Nursing Johann K., can not or will not help Saß. "Nice, friendly, sympathetic" was Högel. The witness can not say much more - much like a doctor who had testified the previous day.

He had never had the impression that Högel had been under the influence of alcohol or medication, says Johann K. He had noticed nothing about the behavior of the nurse and rumors had not come to his ears. He does not know how Högel behaved in conflict situations.

Sass can not really believe that. Whether or not it was part of his job as assistant nurse manager to get a sense of how a team member behaves, he asks. Johann K. says that it seems that he has misconceptions about his activity. His main task at that time was to look after patients as a caretaker. He did not have the time to observe the employees.

If this had been different for Johann Ks boss, Nursing Director Bernd N., Saß will learn as little as the court. Against Bernd N. runs a preliminary investigation for suspicion of manslaughter by omission. He was therefore allowed to refuse to testify in court.

"The next morning the patient was gone, dead"

Significantly more talkative is Stephan K. The 48-year-old was friends with Högel. They worked as a nurse first in the Klinikum Oldenburg, then in Delmenhorst together. In court, he tells, he helped Högel in 2003 during the move. He noticed many empty liquor bottles. Högel asked him to keep it to himself. Stephan K. also says he noticed that his friend had become more and more quiet over the years. Stephan K. had met Högel as funny, open-minded types. But after the move to Delmenhorst he retired more and more.

It was the time when Stephen K. began to doubt his friend. He describes in court that Högel had come one evening in the spring of 2005 for extra service in the Delmenhorst Clinic and made disparaging remarks about a patient. The man was well over 80 years old, his condition after a hip replacement but stable.

Högel is said to have made allegations to Stephan K., whether such an operation is still worthwhile in such an old patient. Stephan K. finished work, went home. "The next morning the patient was gone, dead," he says. That's when he started to think.

A few weeks later, the suspicion hardened. A nurse had surprised Högel on a patient's bed. His condition had just been stable, now the blood pressure was in the basement. The woman called Stephan K. for help. They could save the man. The nurse took blood from her patient. Stephan K. looked for medication that Högel might have injected the patient.

"That was an absolute shock experience"

"So I run off and see if I can find cannulas," says K. in court. He found her. Four vials of a heart medication were in the bin. A drug that the patient should never have received. "That was an absolute shock experience." The blood test confirmed the suspicion. One month later, in July 2005, Högel was arrested. Only nine years later began the investigation into the deaths in the Klinikum Oldenburg.

Help statements like from Stephan K. Saß on? The psychiatrist has experience with defendants who are accused of spectacular acts. For around five years, he examined Beate Zschäpe in the NSU trial. As with Högel, Zschäpe was also concerned with its liability for guilt and with whether from a psychiatric point of view the preconditions for ordering preventive detention were met. Zschäpe has essentially denied the charges. She did not speak to Sass either.

Högel has reason to believe that it could be different. He admits even murders, to which he claims to have no more memory and spoke in questioning before the process quite openly about himself and his actions.

Also with Saß 'predecessor Högel has spoken. Now Saß wants to make his own impression of the defendant. The court has asked Högel to consider whether he also wants to talk to this psychiatrist.

In summary: In the murder trial against the ex-nurse Niels Högel, the psychiatric expert Henning Saß tries to get an idea of ​​the defendant. The fact that former colleagues at Högel want to have noticed nothing, the reviewer surprised - especially as a nurse who worked with Högel, suspicious drew. Sat should provide an opinion on Högel's culpability and assess whether the defendant is still dangerous.