German Palliative Care Doctor Jailed for Murdering 15 Patients, Faces Probe Over Dozens More

A German court has sentenced a 41-year-old palliative care doctor to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of murdering 15 patients under his care, while prosecutors continue investigating dozens of other suspicious deaths linked to him.

The Berlin Regional Court convicted the doctor, identified only as Johannes M. in accordance with German privacy laws, of murdering 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024.

The victims, aged between 25 and 94, were all critically ill but were not considered to be at imminent risk of death, the court heard.

According to prosecutors, the doctor administered a lethal combination of medications to his patients during home visits without their knowledge or consent.

Investigators also told the court that, in several instances, he allegedly set fire to victims' homes in an attempt to destroy evidence and conceal the killings.

One of the most striking incidents occurred in July 2024, shortly before his arrest, when prosecutors said the doctor killed two patients in a single day, a 75-year-old man at his home in central Berlin and, hours later, a 76-year-old woman in a neighbouring district.

Authorities said he attempted to set the woman's home on fire after her death, but the attempt failed.

For most of the year-long trial, Johannes M. declined to testify.

However, last month, he admitted in court to killing 12 of his patients, claiming he believed he was ending their suffering.

"Throughout it all, I thought this was the best thing for everyone," he told the court, adding that he had convinced himself he was sparing patients "suffering and infirmity."

He also apologised for the pain his actions had caused and indicated he would cooperate more fully in future legal proceedings.

Prosecutors believe the 15 convictions may represent only a fraction of the doctor's alleged crimes.

Authorities are currently investigating 76 additional cases involving patients who died while under his care.

If further allegations are substantiated and result in convictions, German media report the case could become one of the largest serial murder cases in Germany's history.

Relatives of several victims told the court they rejected any suggestion that their loved ones wanted to die.

The mother of the youngest victim, a 25-year-old woman who died in 2021, broke down in tears during the proceedings.

"She never said she didn't want to live anymore," she told the court.

The son of a 72-year-old woman who died in 2024 also disputed the doctor's claims, saying his mother had been looking forward to travelling with her sister to the Baltic Sea.

"My mother wanted to keep on living," he said.

In delivering its judgment, the court ruled that the doctor's guilt was of a particularly serious nature, making early release highly unlikely.

In addition to the life sentence, the court ordered that Johannes M. remain in preventive detention after completing his prison term if he is still considered a danger to society.

The court also imposed a lifetime ban on practising medicine, permanently stripping him of the right to work as a physician.