Considered the “deacon of death” by the local media, a 61-year-old Belgian is accused of having killed at least 10 elderly people, including his own mother, by injecting air into their veins. For him, simple euthanasia.
Ivo Poppe, a former nurse who became an ordained pastor, was arrested in 2014 when he admitted to his psychiatrist having euthanized a dozen elderly people by injecting air into their veins: this causes a fatal gas embolism. The case was tried this week.
On the first day of the trial, he confessed to having killed “between 10 and 20 people… 20 maximum. It’s approximate but it’s around that number. Injecting air into veins or arteries causes a potentially fatal air embolism. It happens when one or more air bubbles cause a blockage in the vascular system. These bubbles can travel to the brain, heart, or lungs, depending on the route of injection, and lead to stroke, heart attack, or respiratory failure.
He “did justice” for them
Symptoms related to gas embolism caused by Ivo Poppe are no different from signs of embolisms of other types. Murder is therefore most often not mentioned, especially in the elderly who have many potential causes of embolism.
The picture of air embolism includes difficulty breathing, confusion or loss of consciousness, low blood pressure, blue discoloration of the skin, and pain in the joints, chest, or muscles. Treatment involves action by the physician to reduce the gas embolism and its absorption into the bloodstream without harm.
According to reports, Mr Poppe initially made a partial confession during the inquest, saying he was acting “with compassion” for those who were terminally ill. Belgium nevertheless enjoys an open jurisdiction on the question of euthanasia. Terminally ill patients can seek approval for euthanasia with proof of an “incurable” mental or physical condition that causes “constant and unbearable” suffering.
If found guilty, Ivo Poppe will be one of the deadliest serial killers in Belgian history.
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