Doctor who killed 15 patients in Germany sentenced to life imprisonment

A doctor who worked in palliative care in Germany has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of intentionally killing 15 patients. Investigators suggest these cases may only be a fraction of the total. Dozens of other cases involving the doctor are currently under investigation.

A Berlin court found the 41-year-old doctor, identified only as Johannes M. in accordance with German privacy laws, guilty of intentionally killing 12 women and 3 men between September 2021 and July 2024.

It is reported that the deceased patients were aged between 25 and 94. During the trial, it was noted that while all suffered from serious illnesses, their deaths were not imminent.

Prosecutors stated that the doctor administered lethal combinations of various drugs to patients without their consent during home visits. According to investigators, he also set fires in some cases to destroy evidence.

Specifically, in July 2024, shortly before his arrest, the doctor allegedly killed two patients in a single day. First, he ended the life of a 75-year-old man at his home in central Berlin, and a few hours later, he killed a 76-year-old woman in a neighboring district. Prosecutors say he later attempted to set fire to the woman's home, but the plan failed.

The doctor remained silent for most of the nearly year-long trial. However, last month he admitted to killing 12 of his critically ill patients.

He claimed that at the time, he believed he was relieving the patients from suffering and severe illness.

“I thought it was the right decision for everyone,” he said in court. He also apologized for all the suffering caused by his actions.

Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies believe the doctor may have killed other patients as well. The prosecutor's office is currently investigating 76 additional potential cases.

German media note that if these cases are proven and the doctor is found guilty, it could become one of the largest serial murder cases in the country's history.

The doctor stated that he would continue to actively participate in future court proceedings.

During the trial, relatives of the deceased patients expressed their grief. The mother of a 25-year-old woman who died in 2021 said through tears that her daughter had never expressed a desire to give up on life.

The son of a 72-year-old woman who died in 2024 testified in court, stating that his mother had planned a trip to the Baltic Sea with her sister, adding, “My mother wanted to live.”

The court took into account the extreme gravity of the doctor's crimes, resulting in a life sentence.