German Doctor Gets Life Sentence for Killing 15 Patients

A Berlin regional court on Wednesday sentenced a palliative care doctor to life in prison for the murder of 15 patients. The 41-year-old doctor was found guilty of killing 12 women and three men aged 25 to 87 between September 2021 and July 2024.

The trial, which began about a year ago, drew widespread public attention. In June, the doctor confessed to killing 12 patients during home visits, claiming he acted out of a desire to spare them suffering. He administered a lethal mixture of various medications.

Prosecutors said that in several cases, the doctor set fires to try to cover up his crimes. Separately, authorities are investigating 76 additional cases in which the accused may have committed similar offenses.

The court granted the prosecutor's request to recognize particularly grave guilt, which under German law precludes early release. In addition to the life sentence, the doctor was permanently banned from practicing medicine. The case echoes a 2019 ruling in which a nurse who killed 87 patients was also sentenced to life imprisonment.