German Palliative Care Doctor Charged with Multiple Patient Murders

The case against a 40-year-old German doctor, accused of killing 15 patients between September 2021 and July 2024, raises critical awareness about ethical practices in healthcare, while the investigation continues into potentially more victims.

 

A German palliative care physician, whose identity has been withheld due to stringent privacy laws, has been charged with the murder of 15 patients, including 12 women and three men. Prosecutors in Berlin allege that from September 2021 to July 2024, the 40-year-old doctor used a lethal combination of an anaesthetic and a muscle relaxant to administer fatal doses to his patients surreptitiously. Authorities believe that he may have set fire to the homes of some victims to obscure their deaths, with five such incidents currently noted.

The range of ages among the victims spans from 25 to 94 years old. The doctor reportedly administered the muscle relaxant, which leads to respiratory paralysis and death within minutes, without obtaining proper consent from his patients. Notably, prosecutors mentioned an incident in July 2024 where the doctor is accused of killing a 75-year-old male patient in his central Berlin residence and a 76-year-old female patient nearby hours later.

Initial inquiries linked him to four suspicious deaths when he was apprehended in August 2024, but ongoing investigations have unveiled additional victims raising the total criminal charges. More exhumations are anticipated as authorities seek to uncover the full extent of the alleged crimes. As the case unfolds, prosecutors are pushing for a "lifelong professional ban" and preventative detention for the suspect, who remains in custody while maintaining his innocence regarding the charges.