The case had caused a stir in Cham in the Bavarian Forest: According to the indictment, in February of this year in a nursing home in Cham, the geriatric nurse Manuel N. pressed a pillow on the face of a completely defenseless 68-year-old and closed his airways – for at least half a minute. The accused only let go of the man when he was already blushing, according to the prosecutor’s office. A colleague who had just brought fresh bed linen caught Manuel N. in his act. The trial against him at the Regensburg Regional Court has now begun.
The 68-year-old in need of care, who was in bed at the time of the crime, tried unsuccessfully to defend himself. Manuel N. pressed firmly with both hands. According to the public prosecutor, he was aware that his actions could have caused serious bodily harm or even the death of the 68-year-old. He was indifferent to the suffering of the injured party. N. is therefore accused of dangerous bodily harm in combination with mistreatment of wards.
However, it must now be clarified whether Manuel N. is fully culpable. He has been in a psychiatric ward since the crime. According to his own statement, he remembers only fragments of the crime. This is one of the reasons why the public was largely excluded from the beginning of the process. The defendant’s admission, the hearing of several experts and the questioning of relatives will take place behind closed doors. The defendant’s colleague, who witnessed part of the crime, will be questioned on one of the following days of the trial. The public is admitted to this witness testimony.
The 68-year-old victim suffered no permanent physical damage from the attack. Nevertheless, the act caused an uproar in the Upper Palatinate town, because the public prosecutor’s office and the criminal police initially investigated on suspicion of attempted manslaughter. The public prosecutor’s office moved away from this because Manuel N. had voluntarily resigned from any attempted killing. He took the pillow off the man’s face when his colleague spoke to him and without her having to physically intervene.
Manuel N. was also suspected for months of actually having killed residents of the Cham old people’s home. Investigators looked into about 15 deaths. Three bodies were exhumed. However, no evidence of unnatural causes of death was found. Some of the deceased could no longer be examined because they had been cremated. A verdict against Manuel N. could be pronounced in December.