Nurse accused of killing 2 nursing home residents with insulin linked to more deaths

Jelle D., a 26-year-old nurse suspected of killing two elderly men at the Joris Zorg nursing home in Oirschot by administering an overdose of insulin, may have caused more deaths, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said during the first public hearing against the man on Wednesday. D. denies the allegations, Omroep Brabant reports.

The OM suspects D. of murdering two men who died in Joris Zorg on August 15 and 19. But in the preceding weeks, there were several other deaths that the authorities consider highly suspicious, the prosecutor said in court in Den Bosch. The prosecutor did not specify how many deaths, only saying that the cases are under investigation, which is complicated by the fact that the individuals have already been buried or cremated.

In the two cases in which D. is already formally a suspect, the OM has plenty of evidence. The two men died in units where patients with advanced dementia are cared for. Jelle D. was observed in their rooms, and there is a large amount of footage showing him there.

The footage also shows him performing actions while alone with the victims for which he had no legitimate reason or authorization, the prosecutor said. For example, the footage shows D. pulling the blankets off both men and “performing actions around the level of their waists.” He did not record or disclose these actions. Puncture marks from insulin injections were found on both men in that area.

According to the OM, neither man had significant medical issues, and they certainly did not have diabetes. The OM asserts that D. administered a fatal overdose of insulin to both men, resulting in their deaths.

D.’s lawyer argued for the court to release the man from custody. The lawyer argued that other staff members might also have failed to record the administration of medication, and that the men could have died from other causes. The lawyer also pointed out that D. was not the last person with one of the men before he died.

D. was allowed to speak at the end of the hearing, and he insisted on his release. “This pre-trial detention has to end; I am blamed for something I didn’t do,” he said. “Healthcare is my passion; for ten years, I gave everything for everyone. There is no evidence - and there won’t be any in six months, either. I beg you to release me until the trial begins. I want to go to my girlfriend.”

According to D., he offered his full assistance to the police when they investigated the deaths in August, because he knew the patients well. Instead of accepting his help, however, a police team raided his home and arrested him - a turn of events that left him bewildered. D. has been in custody since.

The court remanded D. into custody. According to the court, the evidence outlined by the OM today does not yet constitute proof of murder - extensive further investigation is required - but it does provide sufficient reason to keep D. in custody.

D. was employed at Joris Zorg for about a decade. He also performed regularly in the theater and appeared for two months on the SBS program De Bondgenoten in 2023. After D.’s arrest, Talpa removed all episodes of the show featuring him, resulting in the first 39 episodes of the first season no longer being available for streaming.