A German palliative care doctor has received a life sentence after a Berlin court found him guilty of murdering 15 patients. The 41 year old doctor, identified as Johannes M. under German privacy laws, killed 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024.
The court ruled that the doctor deliberately gave lethal combinations of medicines to seriously ill patients during home visits. Investigators said he acted without their permission and later tried to hide evidence in some cases.
Doctor Targeted Seriously Ill Patients During Home Visits
The victims were between 25 and 94 years old. Prosecutors said the patients suffered from serious illnesses, but their conditions were not expected to cause immediate death.
Authorities found that the doctor used his position as a medical professional to access vulnerable patients. Investigators believe the number of victims could be much higher, with 76 additional cases currently under review.
Prosecutors said the doctor sometimes attempted to start fires after the killings to destroy evidence. In one case, he allegedly tried to burn a patient’s home but failed.
Final Days Before Arrest Revealed More Details
According to prosecutors, the doctor killed two patients on the same day in July 2024, shortly before authorities arrested him.
The first victim was a 75 year old man living in central Berlin. Hours later, the doctor allegedly killed a 76 year old woman in another district of the city.
Doctor Admitted Killing Patients During Trial
The trial lasted around a year, and the doctor remained mostly silent during court hearings. However, shortly before the verdict, he admitted that he had killed 12 seriously ill patients.
He told the court that he believed he was protecting them from pain and suffering. He said he had convinced himself that his actions were the right choice, but later apologised for the harm he caused.
The court also ordered that he remain in preventive detention after completing his sentence. Authorities permanently banned him from practising medicine.
Families Say Victims Wanted to Live
Relatives of the victims described their pain during the trial. Many said they could not understand why the doctor took the lives of their loved ones.
The mother of the youngest victim, a 25 year old woman who died in 2021, said her daughter never expressed a wish to stop living.
The son of a 72 year old victim said his mother had future plans, including a trip to the Baltic Sea with her sister. He told the court that she wanted to continue living.
Investigation Into More Possible Murders Continues
German authorities are continuing their investigation into dozens of other suspected cases linked to the doctor.
If prosecutors prove the additional allegations, the case could become one of the most serious serial murder investigations in Germany’s modern history.
