German Doctor Faces Murder Charges for Deaths of 15 Patients

Prosecutors in Berlin have charged a palliative care doctor with the murder of 15 patients, as investigations reveal alarming practices within medical care.

A German doctor, aged 40, has been charged with the murder of 15 patients, allegedly using lethal drug combinations in his practice. The accusations made by Berlin prosecutors highlight the chilling case, where the doctor is believed to have killed 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024. Authorities express concerns that the number of victims may increase as further investigations unfold.

The identity of the doctor is being withheld due to strict privacy laws in Germany, yet the allegations against him are severe. Prosecutors assert that he administered an anaesthetic and muscle relaxant to patients without their knowledge or consent, leading to rapid respiratory failure and death. The ages of those who died under suspicious circumstances range from 25 to 94, indicating a broad scope of affected individuals.

Additionally, the physician is alleged to have engaged in cover-up tactics, including setting fire to the homes of some suspected victims on five separate occasions. Prosecutors allege that he killed two patients within hours of each other in July 2024. On one occasion, after failing to ignite a fire in a woman's apartment, he reportedly contacted a relative, claiming a lack of response from the woman inside.

Initially arrested in August 2024 for the suspected deaths of four patients, the doctor's case has widened as further investigations revealed additional suspicious deaths. Authorities are planning more exhumations for possible victims as they seek a lifelong professional ban and preventative detention for the doctor, who remains in custody while awaiting proceedings.