In brief
A 41‑year‑old palliative care doctor in Berlin has been sentenced to life imprisonment after prosecutors found he murdered 15 ill patients between 2021 and 2024. He allegedly gave lethal injections during home visits and tried to cover his crimes by setting fires. While his confession was limited to 12 victims, investigators suspect he may have killed dozens more, potentially making it one of Germany's worst serial killings. The judge also banned him from practising medicine indefinitely and placed him in preventive detention. The case has sparked outcry within the medical community and raised questions about oversight in home‑care services.
A 41‑year‑old palliative care doctor has been given a life sentence after a Berlin court convicted him of murdering 15 patients between September 2021 and July 2024.
Johannes M., so named to protect privacy, was found guilty of killing 12 women and three men, all of whom were critically ill but not in immediate danger of death when he visited.
Investigators say he administered lethal doses of medicines without consent and attempted to cover up the killings by setting fires at some victims’ homes.
In July 2024, just before his arrest, prosecutors revealed that he killed a 75‑year‑old man in central Berlin and, hours later, a 76‑year‑old woman in a neighbouring district. He allegedly tried to ignite the woman’s house but failed.
The doctor remained silent for most of the one‑year trial, but last month he confessed to “killing people” and saw himself as sparing them from suffering.
Authorities now suspect that he may have murdered further patients; 76 additional cases are under investigation.
If prosecuted and conviction confirmed, this could become one of the most severe serial‑murder cases in German history, according to media reports.
The judge ordered preventive detention and banned him permanently from practising medicine, reflecting the severity of the offence.
Families of victims have expressed shock; a 25‑year‑old woman’s mother cried, saying her daughter never wanted to die, while a 72‑year‑old woman’s son recalled her plans to visit the Baltic Sea.
The case highlights the critical need for safeguards in home‑care and raises questions about how medical professionals are monitored during private visits.
