Berlin Court Sentences Doctor to Life in Prison for Killing 15 Patients Without Consent

A Berlin court on Wednesday sentenced a 41-year-old German doctor identified as Johannes M. to life in prison for murdering 15 patients under palliative care. The physician, who worked on an end-of-life care team at a nursing service in Berlin, administered a lethal mixture of medications to 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024.

The court found that the doctor gave patients an anesthetic and a muscle relaxer without their knowledge or consent. The combination paralyzed respiratory muscles and caused death within minutes. Victims ranged in age from 25 to 94, and most died in their own homes.

The doctor confessed last month to killing a dozen seriously ill patients during home visits. He stated that he had convinced himself he was sparing patients from suffering. At the close of the trial he apologized to the bereaved families.

Prosecutors had sought a finding of particularly severe guilt that would bar early release. The court granted that request, imposed a lifetime ban on practicing medicine, and recorded a finding of serious guilt. The doctor was taken into custody in August 2024.

The trial ran from last July through the end of January this year. A special investigation team examined 395 cases. Initial suspicion was confirmed in 95 cases and preliminary proceedings began. In five cases suspicion was not substantiated.

The public prosecutor’s office continues to investigate 76 additional cases and expects another indictment this year.