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Mariya GruberManiacs
Country:
 Austria |
Content:
Biography of Maria Gruber
Maria Gruber, along with three other nurses, Irene Laidorf, Waltraud Wagner, and Stefania Mayer, became infamously known as the "spawn of hell from Pavilion No. 5" in Austria. In 1989, they were accused of killing elderly patients who had become a burden to them. The murders were mostly carried out by administering lethal doses of sedatives and other strong medications intravenously. However, the nurses later developed a new method called "mouth rinsing," where water was poured into the mouths and respiratory tracts of the victims, causing them to suffocate from lung edema. Initially, they targeted terminally ill patients who were already weakened by suffering, but eventually, they started killing anyone who displeased or demanded too much from them.
The investigation into their crimes lasted for two years, and in April 1991, the trial concluded. The court found evidence of 42 killings, with 21 murders deemed proven. Waltraud Wagner, an unsuccessful nurse but diligent healthcare worker, was responsible for the highest number of victims, with 15 deaths. She preferred to work night shifts, allowing her to carry out her criminal activities. Among her victims were both unknown patients and even famous individuals, including a renowned economist and a former ballet dancer from the Vienna Opera.
During the trial, when questioned about their motives for such treatment of patients, the nurses gave various responses. Some claimed they did it out of compassion to ease the elderly's transition into the afterlife, while others admitted that they were irritated by the cries and pleas for help from the patients. The "witches of Linz" (another nickname given to the killer nurses by the press) were sentenced as follows: Waltraud Wagner and Irene Laidorf received life imprisonment, Maria Gruber received a 15-year sentence, and Stefania Mayer received a 20-year prison term.
The case of the "angels of death" shocked the public, and the newspaper "Kurier" expressed disbelief that such a healthcare system could allow for the mass murder of elderly patients. Although criminals and killers exist in other places, the fact that the killings went unnoticed in a hospital was difficult to fathom. Such a breakdown in the healthcare system raised concerns. While justice punished the individual culprits, it failed to address the deeper underlying causes. The revelation that the murderers were people in white coats caused people to fear healthcare facilities.
Austrian Chancellor Franz Vranitzky described this crime as "the most brutal and heinous in the country's history," and Kurt Waldheim stated that it was such an horrific crime that it was unimaginable.
