German Doctor Sentenced to Life for Killing 15 Patients, Investigations Continue

A Berlin court sentenced a 41-year-old German palliative care doctor to life imprisonment on Wednesday after convicting him of murdering 15 patients, including 12 women and three men, during his work with terminally ill patients. The doctor, identified only as Johannes M. under German privacy laws, was found guilty of administering lethal drug combinations without patients' knowledge or consent between September 2021 and July 2024. These drugs caused respiratory paralysis and death within minutes. Victims ranged in age from 25 to 94, all suffering from serious illnesses but not expected to die imminently. Most died at home during the doctor’s visits, and in some cases, he attempted to cover his tracks by setting fire to patients’ homes.

The most recent murders occurred in July 2024, when the doctor killed a 75-year-old man and, hours later, a 76-year-old woman in central Berlin and a nearby district, attempting to ignite the woman’s home afterward. The prosecution is still investigating 76 additional suspicious deaths linked to the doctor, with a further indictment expected later this year. Authorities have examined 395 deaths so far, finding grounds for suspicion in 95 cases.

During the nearly year-long trial, the doctor mostly remained silent but admitted last month to killing 12 patients, claiming he acted out of compassion to spare them suffering. He apologized to the victims’ families and pledged cooperation with ongoing investigations. Family members testified about their shock and grief, emphasizing that their loved ones had not expressed a wish to die.

The court ruled the doctor’s guilt as especially severe, barring any possibility of early release and ordering preventive detention after his sentence. His medical license was permanently revoked. A special investigative team continues to review hundreds of cases linked to him, raising concerns this may be one of Germany’s most serious serial murder cases.