A Berlin-based physician has been formally charged with 15 counts of murder, accused of administering fatal drug overdoses to palliative care patients and, in some cases, setting fire to their homes in an apparent attempt to cover up the crimes.
The 40-year-old suspect, who worked with a nursing service’s palliative care team, is alleged to have deliberately killed patients under his care between September 2021 and July 2024. According to prosecutors, he acted out of “malice and other base motives.”
Investigators say the doctor used an anesthetic induction agent followed by a muscle relaxant, causing paralysis of respiratory muscles and rapid respiratory arrest — all without the patients’ knowledge, consent, or medical justification.
Some victims’ homes were allegedly set ablaze to destroy evidence. The victims ranged in age from 56 to 94.
The doctor has been in custody since August 2024 and has not made any public statement regarding the charges. Prosecutors are pursuing a lifetime professional ban. He had worked as a medical professional across multiple German states.
The investigation, which began after suspicions were raised over four deaths linked to fires in 2023, has since widened. Authorities have exhumed several bodies, and forensic reviews of medical records are ongoing. The current death toll could rise as more potential victims from as far back as 2021 are examined.
