BERLIN (AP) — A Berlin court on Wednesday convicted and sentenced a German doctor to life in prison on charges of murdering 15 of his patients who were under palliative care, in a case involving allegations he torched the homes of victims to try to cover up the crimes.The 41-year-old doctor, who has only been identified as Johannes M. in line with Germany’s privacy rules, went on trial nearly a year ago at a Berlin state court. Part of an end-of-life care team at a nursing service in Berlin, he was initially suspected of the deaths of four patients. Prosecutors eventually accused him of the deaths of 15 people between September 2021 and July 2024.The Berlin court found the physician administered a lethal mixture of various medications to 12 women and three men, German news agency dpa reported.Murder charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison in Germany. A ruling of particularly severe guilt — which prosecutors had sought — would mean he wouldn’t be eligible for release.
The ruling also aligned with the prosecutors’ request for a finding of serious guilt and a call for him to face a lifetime ban from practicing medicine.
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After months of silence, the doctor confessed last month to killing a dozen seriously ill patients during home visits, dpa reported. He claimed he had convinced himself he was doing the right thing and sparing patients suffering and illness.
