What happened
Four nurses at Vienna’s Lainz General Hospital were convicted in connection with the deliberate deaths of patients during the 1980s.
The investigation
Suspicion grew after staff concerns and unusual patterns of patient deaths. Investigators examined hospital records and confessions, eventually attributing numerous killings to the group.
What the courts or investigators concluded
Waltraud Wagner, Irene Leidolf, Maria Gruber and Stephanija Meyer were convicted and received prison terms of varying lengths, with Wagner receiving the heaviest sentence.
Why the case remains significant
The case remains one of Europe’s most notorious examples of healthcare serial murder and prompted scrutiny of supervision, reporting culture and the vulnerability of dependent patients.
Case context
Crime by Region organizes cases geographically so readers can move from one file to other investigations from the same country. For unresolved or contested cases, the wording above reflects the distinction between confirmed events, investigative theories and findings actually established in court.