A Berlin court has sentenced a 41-year-old palliative care doctor to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of murdering 15 patients between September 2021 and July 2024. In accordance with German privacy laws, the defendant has been identified only as Johannes M.
The victims included 12 women and three men aged between 25 and 94. Although all suffered from serious illnesses, the court heard that none of them were considered to be at immediate risk of death.
Prosecutors said the doctor administered a lethal combination of medications during home visits without the knowledge or consent of his patients. Investigators also alleged that he set fires at several crime scenes in an attempt to destroy evidence and conceal the killings.
According to the investigation, shortly before his arrest in July 2024, the doctor allegedly murdered two patients on the same day—a 75-year-old man followed several hours later by a 76-year-old woman. Authorities say he unsuccessfully attempted to set fire to the woman’s home after the attack.
German prosecutors believe the 15 confirmed murders may represent only a fraction of the doctor’s crimes. Investigations are continuing into dozens of additional suspicious deaths linked to his medical practice.
