A 40-year-old doctor in Berlin faces charges for murdering 15 patients under his care, according to German prosecutors. They allege that he acted out of a “lust for killing.” To hide his crimes, he reportedly started fires in the victims’ homes.
The doctor, identified in the media as Johannes M., worked in palliative care. Prosecutors claim he gave lethal doses of medication without the patients’ consent, leading to their deaths within minutes. The victims ranged in age from 25 to 94 and died between September 2021 and July 2023.
Initially, investigators looked into four suspicious deaths but soon found more victims. The prosecutor’s office stated that the doctor had “no motive beyond killing,” meeting Germany’s legal definition of “murder for lust.” He has been in custody since August 2024 and has not yet responded to the charges.
Prosecutors will seek a life sentence if the case goes to trial. They also plan to request a ruling that would prevent him from practicing medicine again. Moreover, this case draws comparisons to the recent conviction of a nurse in England, highlighting concerns about medical oversight and forensic evidence reliability. There is currently no timeline for the trial in Berlin.