Get to Know the SHOCKING real story that inspired the Netflix series about a serial killer nurse

The Nurse, a Danish thriller series directed by Kasper Barfoed, tells the story of Christina Aistrup Hansen, a nurse who was arrested in March 2015 for allegedly killing her patients at Nykøbing Falster Hospital in Denmark. See more:

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The series stars Josephine Park as Hansen and Fanny Louis Bernth as fellow nurse Pernille Kurzmann. The story, which is disturbingly similar to the story of serial killer nurse Charles Cullen from the The Good Nurse series on Netflix from 2022, explores Hansen's crimes as she builds a friendship with a newly graduated nurse called Pernille Kurzmann. Kurzmann's discoveries about her colleague ultimately led to one of Denmark's most disturbing criminal trials. So, what's there to know about this new Netflix series and the story it's based on?

Is The Nurse a true story?

The series is based on a book written by Kristian Corfixen, titled The Nurse: The True Story Behind One Of Scandinavia's Criminal Trials. The book documents the story of a real nurse named Christina Aistrup Hansen, who was arrested in March 2015 for intentionally killing patients in southern Denmark. During night shifts, Hansen would administer lethal medication to patients to worsen their conditions before attempting to "save" them again. Her apparently "heroic" actions meant that Hansen was well-respected and had a good reputation at the hospital. But, unfortunately, Hansen wasn't always able to save the patients she had harmed. On March 1, 2015, Hansen's behavior came to light when two patients died under her care, and another 73-year-old woman was revived at the last moment. Dutch journalist Kristian Corfixen investigated the crime in his book – combing through police reports, firsthand accounts from witnesses to Hansen's crimes, and medical records. Director Kasper Barfoed then used this book as the basis for the series. https://youtu.be/PjuiF00GQGE

How much of the Netflix series stays true to real life?

The Nurse appears to closely follow the real story of Hansen and Corfixen's book. However, the series also develops the relationship between Kurzmann and Hansen. Director Kasper Barfoed told Netflix that the series sought to determine how Hansen's crimes went unnoticed for so long. According to various sources, Hansen's first victim was traced back to a deceased patient in 2012, whose blood contained the same combination of lethal drugs that killed two patients in 2015. Many hospital staff members were suspicious of Hansen, however, no one came forward until Kurzmann finally reported her in 2015. Kurzmann had only started working at the hospital a year prior, according to her Facebook page.

Who is Pernille Kurzmann?

The miniseries is told from the perspective of Pernille Kurzmann. Kurzmann had just graduated from nursing school and had just started her first job in Nykøbing when she met Hansen in 2014. Kurzmann and Hansen become quite close in the Netflix miniseries (it's unclear if this happened in real life), and the two become the hospital's "dream team". According to Netflix, Kurzmann became suspicious of Hansen when she noticed that patients were dying under her care at an unusual rate.

"Many people suspected something or saw something – and yet it's the new nurse, the one on her first job who not only feels that something is wrong, but who actually does something about it and risks everything", director Kasper Barfoed told Netflix.

Kurzmann also became a key witness in Hansen's trial, according to Danish news site Berlingske. Another 70 witnesses would come forward to testify against Hansen, according to Radio Times. [caption id="attachment_243971" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Image: Pipocas Club[/caption]

Where is Pernille Kurzmann now?

She still works at Nykøbing Falster Hospital. Kurzmann got married, and now goes by Pernille Kurzmann Lundén. (Niels Lundén, her now-husband and then-boyfriend, is also portrayed in the series).

Did Christina Hansen go to prison?

In real life, Hansen was arrested in 2015 and charged in 2016 with three murders (one in 2012 and two in 2015), one attempted murder charge, and a charge of stealing sleeping pills from Nykøbing, according to Berlingske. The prosecution alleged that Hansen's "histrionic personality disorder" may have motivated her crimes. The court found Hansen guilty of all charges, according to Berlingske. [caption id="attachment_243972" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Image: Music and Cinema[/caption]

Where is Christina Hansen now?

Hansen's trial lasted about 28 days and, in the end, she was sentenced to life imprisonment, according to Danish news site Domstole. However, in 2017, after she appealed her initial conviction, a higher court convicted her of four counts of attempted murder and reduced Hansen's sentence to 12 years, according to Digital Spy. She is expected to be released in 2028.