Overview
- A Berlin court on Wednesday convicted a 41-year-old doctor identified as Johannes M. of murdering 15 patients and sentenced him to life in prison with a ruling that makes early release unlikely.
- The court found he killed 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024 by giving a mix of an anaesthetic and a muscle relaxant that paralysed breathing and led to death within minutes.
- Prosecutors said he sometimes set fires to conceal crimes and described his motive as a 'lust for murder,' while the defendant confessed in court and said, 'I despair at myself.'
- Investigators assembled a special team that initially screened about 395 deaths, opened preliminary proceedings in roughly 95 cases, and say 76 other deaths remain under active investigation with further indictments expected.
- The sentence includes a lifetime ban on practising medicine and has prompted calls for tighter oversight of home palliative services and clearer reporting rules to protect vulnerable patients and aid bereaved families.