German doctor gets life term for killing 15 patients

A German court has sentenced a palliative care doctor to life imprisonment for murdering 15 patients by injecting them with lethal doses of sedatives.

A German court has sentenced a palliative care doctor to life imprisonment for murdering 15 patients by injecting them with lethal doses of sedatives.

The 41-year-old doctor, identified as Johannes M., was convicted of killing 12 women and three men during home visits in Berlin between September 2021 and July 2024.

Presiding Judge Sylvia Busch said the convicted doctor’s crimes represented an “extraordinary” case and described him as a serial killer. The court ruled that his actions were not motivated by compassion or assisted dying, but by a desire to control and kill his victims.

Investigators found that the doctor administered a combination of anaesthetic and muscle-relaxing drugs that stopped patients’ breathing within minutes. The victims were aged between 25 and 94 and were receiving medical care from him at the time.

Prosecutors said the 15 confirmed murders may only be part of a larger series of crimes. The doctor is also under investigation over allegations involving more than 70 additional deaths.

Authorities said the doctor allegedly tried to hide some of his crimes by setting fire to patients’ homes after the killings. In one case, he was accused of killing two patients on the same day before attempting to destroy evidence.

The doctor was arrested in 2024 after suspicions were raised by care service providers. The investigation initially focused on a few cases but later expanded as more suspicious deaths came to light.

During the trial, Johannes M. admitted that he had “killed people” and expressed regret, saying he was only beginning to understand the suffering he had caused.