A nurse in an emergency department is accused of deliberately contaminating her coworkers' supplies with toxic substances.
The trial of a 24-year-old trainee emergency medical technician has commenced at the Regional Court of Heilbronn, following accusations of attempted murder of her colleagues. The defendant, who began her training with the DRK Ludwigsburg on October 1, 2021, and joined the rescue station in Vaihingen an der Enz on March 17, 2023, stands accused of intentionally poisoning her colleagues.
The prosecutor alleges that the defendant, due to a combination of deep anger and frustration over harsh criticism of her work, and a disturbing curiosity about how the drugs would affect people, repeatedly laced the drinks of three of her colleagues with stolen prescription medications, including atropine, a toxic substance, between October 2023 and April 2024. This motive suggests both an emotional response to workplace criticism and a morbid scientific curiosity drove her actions.
The trial relates to five poisoning incidents, causing serious harm to three co-workers. In one case, the poisoning almost ended fatally for one of the colleagues. On April 13, the first colleague was affected again, and on April 16, another colleague was affected, who had to be treated in intensive care due to acute danger to his life. On October 4, 2023, the defendant is accused of putting Atropine in a colleague's water bottle in a dose that could be life-threatening. The victim became disoriented, slurred his speech, had to abort an emergency response, and spent four days in the hospital. On March 15, another colleague fell victim to an attack with Atropine poisoning and had little memory of those days.
The accused made no rescue attempts when her colleagues were in distress. The theft of medication and police investigations led to the termination of her training contract in September of last year. Many questions are still open at this time regarding the motive behind the accused's actions.
The trial, scheduled to last for eleven trial days until late October, is taking place at the Regional Court of Heilbronn. The defendant, who was born in Bulgaria but was adopted by a German couple as a one-year-old and has never known her biological parents, attended kindergarten and completed her schooling with her Abitur, followed by a voluntary social year (FSJ).
During the trial, the defense attorney announced during a brief recess that he was having difficulty reaching his client and that she was not doing well in detention. The defendant has granted a psychologist access to her medical records. The prosecutor has accused the trainee of intentionally causing the death of her colleagues or at least accepting it, out of malice and low motives, which is equivalent to attempted murder.
The DRK rescue station where the incident took place is located in Vaihingen an der Enz. The prosecutor stated that they would consider applying for a medical examination, depending on the defendant's statement. On one occasion, the defendant was criticized by colleagues for her lack of training, and in an unspecified incident, she was told to pull herself together more.
The trial is a sobering reminder of the potential consequences of workplace stress and frustration, and the importance of seeking help when needed. As the trial continues, the court and the public will await the verdict with interest.
- The defendant's actions, driven by a combination of deep anger and frustration over workplace criticism and a morbid scientific curiosity, had severe consequences in the realms of health and wellness, medical-conditions, and general-news, as she intentionally poisoned her colleagues with stolen prescription medications.
- The trial, taking place at the Regional Court of Heilbronn, is not just a crime and justice matter, but also a call to pay attention to health-and-wellness issues and the effects of stress at work.
- Interestingly, apart from the charges of attempted murder, the prosecutor may also consider applying for a medical examination to understand the psychological factors behind the defendant's actions, given her troubled detention period and her granting access to her medical records.
