Four nurses dubbed the 'Angels of Death' were convicted of killing patients at a Vienna hospital

The murder trial

Lainz trial after the four were caught (Image: brandstaetter images via Getty Images)

A sinister quartet of nurses, infamously known as the "Angels of Death", are believed to have murdered as many as 300 patients in a chilling six-year reign of terror - administering fatal overdoses and drowning victims.

Waltraud Wagner and Irene Leidolf orchestrated the deadly campaign at Vienna's Lainz hospital from 1983 to 1989. Their methods included forcing water into patients' lungs and administering lethal doses of insulin and tranquilisers.

The depraved duo were aided by two accomplices, Maria Gruber and Stefanija Mayer.

The killers confessed to authorities that their murderous spree began in 1983, initially claiming to act out of compassion for elderly and terminally ill patients. Wagner, aged just 23 at the time, carried out the first killing with a morphine overdose.

She subsequently enlisted Gruber, 19, Leidolf, 21, and the group's elder member Meyer, 43. Wagner instructed the others in preparing the deadly injections, reports <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/angels-death-nurses-injected-patients-36332026" rel="Follow" target="_self">the Mirror</a>.

Angels of death

The mugshots of the four nurses (Image: undefined)

Their technique involved one nurse restraining the victim's head and blocking their nose, whilst another poured water down their throat until they drowned in their beds - inflicting "terrible suffering".

The victims were predominantly in their eighties, with all aged over 75. Tragically, at least 22 lives could have been spared had hospital administrators properly assisted police investigations.

Chief investigator Max Edelbacher reported encountering a "wall of silence" from the institution. Their eventual capture came after a doctor overheard them casually discussing the murders in a nearby pub.

The four women initially confessed to their involvement in the deaths of up to 42 patients at the clinic, which has since been repurposed into a nursing home. Some reports suggested the victim count could be as high as 300, according to the New York Times.

The latest news from around the world Invalid email

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy

The accused

Two of the nurses at their trial (Image: brandstaetter images via Getty Images)

During the investigation, one of them allegedly told police: ''The ones who got on my nerves were dispatched directly to a free bed with the good Lord.'' Then Mayor Helmut Zilk dubbed the nurse's aides ''the death angels'' and likened them to the Nazi medical experiments at concentration camp Auschwitz.

Professor Erwin Ringel, a psychologist and author of the book Austrian Soul, commented at the time: "I am convinced we were not able to overcome the feelings of the Nazi times because we have avoided facing it. We are still like the people in the Nazi times. Austrians are not willing to face the truth. The majority are driven to suppression and denial."

Wagner and Leidolf were found guilty of murder in 1991 and received life sentences. However, due to good behaviour, they were conditionally released in 2008.

Before their release, they were reportedly permitted day trips from prison for activities such as hair appointments or shopping.

Vienna-based bookkeeper Anna Rietsch said: "It's inhumane and immoral to execute a killer, but it's not fair to their victims' loved ones when a killer can look forward to a nice life outside prison."

Gruber and Mayer were found guilty on lesser charges of attempted murder and manslaughter as accessories, released early and provided with new identities to evade potential vigilante attacks.