Kumari Shreya
Netflix’s ‘Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer’ is a haunting retelling of the various murders that took place in Berlin, Germany, in 2012. While the case slowly became linked to multiple victims, it had all started with Nicky Hilgert, a man who was found dead in a bar. The suspicious circumstances surrounding his death certainly led to a long investigation into just why he had been murdered and who might be responsible for it all.
Nicky Miller Was Found Dead in a Bar
In the early hours of May 5, 2012, Nicky Miller was found to be dead in one of the rooms in the establishment called Grosse Freiheit 114. The room in which Nicky had been found was a darkroom, known in the local party area as a place where people could go to have sexual encounters. He had initially been discovered by an employee of the bar, who had thought him to be simply passed out. Nicky himself had been a regular client of the establishment, and hence, his presence had not provoked much curiosity at the start.
Unfortunately, it was soon discovered that Nicky was not just unconscious but was actually dead. This led the authorities to soon come and investigate what might have happened, with many officers being unware of the very concept of darkroom. A pressing factor was that the police noted that Nick’s belongings, like his phone and credit card, were missing. A search of his home confirmed that they were not at his home, leading the police to suspect that the killer had taken it.
When the police looked into whether or not Nicky’s card had been used recently, it was found that someone had tried to purchase a train ticket not once but twice using Nicky’s card. The attempts to buy tickets to Saarbrücken, Berlin, had not been successful, though, as the transactions could not be processed. The victim’s phone was also located and was found with someone who claimed that they had indeed been at Grosse Freiheit 114. This person claimed that he had gone into the same room as Nicky because he had thought he was there for a sexual encounter. When he realized that Nicky was unresponsive, the suspect stated that he thought Nicky was sleeping. He also admitted to having taken the victim’s phone but could not explain the reasons behind the action.
For a long time, the authorities were unable to pinpoint an exact reason behind Nicky’s death, though many did suspect that a poisoning had taken place. After more individuals started getting linked to the case, a more detailed toxicity screen was conducted for Nicky, particularly looking into the drug called Gamma-hydroxybutyrate, or GHB, which many have referred to as liquid ecstasy. The drug can be harmful even in small doses, and its high amount of presence in Nicky’s system allowed the authorities to confirm that he had not ingested the drug willingly and that his death was indeed caused by poisoning.
Dirk P Drugged and Killed Nicky Miller
In the days following Nicky Miller’s death, various other cases were linked to the case. Together, all that had happened to the victims allowed the investigators to put together a cohesive case. The reason why Nicky was invested in the GHB poisoning had been Miroslaw Wawak. The latter had claimed that he, too, had been drugged by someone, and all that he described his encounter with a strange man aligned with how things had happened for Nicky on the very same night, but Miroslaw had been able to escape with his life.
As the murders of Alexander M and Peter M were investigated, it was believed that the same person had killed the three individuals and at least tried to kill Miroslaw. It was Alexander’s phone records around the time of his passing that helped the police to find out about a man named Dirk P. Alexander, who had evidently been in contact with him just prior to his death and had invited him to his home. Hence, Dirk was brought in for questioning, where he ultimately ended up confessing to the three murders and the drugging of Miroslaw.
Given Dirk’s MO when it came to committing his killings, it was established that he had likely poisoned Nicky at the bar by mixing GHB in his drug or unknowingly making him ingest it in some manner. Both men had likely gone into a dark room, which is where Nicky ended up passing away due to the extreme level of poison in his system. Dirk P was a former nurse who gained names like “The Darkroom Killer,” “Coma Killer,” and “Nightlife Killer” due to how his killings had been linked to the local party scene and the fact that his victims were often found unresponsive with no external injuries. Around nine months after his June 2013 sentencing to life in prison, Dirk took his own life while still in custody.
Read More: Alexander M. Murder: How Did He Die? Who Killed Him?
