The 44-year-old man worked with palliative care at a hospital in the city of Würselen in the western parts of the country.
The prosecutors claim that the nurse injected a total of 26 patients with high doses of morphine and midazolam, and that nine of them died as a result of this. Midazolam is a narcotic-classified, sedative medication sometimes used in executions in the USA.
After the injections, he allegedly left the patients alone by leaving the room. The crimes are said to have been committed between December 2023 and May 2024. His motive was to reduce his workload during night shifts, according to the prosecutors.
The man did not want to respond to the allegations on Monday, which was the first day of the trial.
German police are also investigating similar cases that occurred in Cologne, where the man worked previously.
Corrected: An earlier version contained an incorrect description of midazolam.
