Arnfinn Nessett

Case record: Arnfinn Nessett

Background

Arnfinn Nesset was born October 25, 1936, in Norway. He was a Norwegian nurse and became the director of a geriatric institution in Orkdal, Norway. He worked as a nursing home administrator.

The offence

Nesset was convicted of poisoning 22 patients with Curacit at a geriatric institution in Orkdal, Norway, where he was the director. During investigations, he claimed to have killed several more patients over many years at this institution and other institutions where he had previously worked, but later retracted several of these statements.

The case described Curacit as becoming increasingly difficult to trace in a corpse as time passed.

Nesset confessed to murdering 27 patients between May 1977 and November 1980, and authorities sought lists of patients who died in three institutions where Nesset had worked since 1962. Detectives reported a list of sixty-two possible victims, but autopsies were described as being useless because Curacit became increasingly difficult to trace.

The narrative included that Nesset offered a variety of motives for the murders, including “mercy killing”, “schizophrenia”, and “simple morbid pleasure in the act itself”. The account also described defence counsel suggesting that he was mentally unbalanced. Four psychiatrists examined Nesset and each pronounced him sane and fit for trial. Before his day in court, Nesset was described as recanting his confessions, leaving prosecutors in a quandary.

The narrative stated that Nesset was finally charged with killing only 25 of the established Orkdal Valley victims, and added five counts of forgery and embezzlement based on his misappropriation of some $1,800 from his victims. The narrative also described Nesset as having considered himself a “demigod” who held “the power of life and death over his elderly patients”.

Investigation

In 1981, the investigation began after an employee noticed the purchase of a large amount of Curacit, described as a derivative of curare and a muscle relaxant.

In questioning, Nesset initially claimed he purchased the poison to kill a pack of wild dogs around the nursing home. He later confessed to the murders of twenty-seven patients between May 1977 and November 1980. At one point, he exclaimed: “I've killed so many I'm unable to remember them all.”

Authorities reported that Curacit was increasingly difficult to trace as time passed.

Arrest

Nesset was brought in for questioning after the employee noticed the purchase of large quantities of Curacit. The narrative described police as bringing “the man in charge of purchasing the curacit” in for questioning.

Trial

Nesset pleaded innocent on all counts when his trial opened in October 1982.

The trial included multiple charges. Five months later, on March 11, 1983, jurors convicted Nesset on 22 counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, plus five counts of forgery and embezzlement.

The narrative stated that Nesset was acquitted on the three remaining murder charges.

The narrative included the statement attributed to Nesset during the case: “I've killed so many I'm unable to remember them all.”

Sentencing

Upon conviction, Nesset was sentenced to 21 years in prison. The narrative described this as the maximum punishment possible under Norwegian law. It also described a possibility of ten more years preventive detention.

Appeals

No appeal information was included in the provided material.

Outcome

Nesset was released in 2004.

Aftermath

The narrative stated that he was presumed to be living at an undisclosed location in Norway under a new name. It also described him as “back on the streets.”