German doctor charged with 15 patient murders

BERLIN

A 40-year-old doctor has been charged with murdering 15 patients under his care, Berlin prosecutors announced Wednesday.

The palliative care physician, identified only as Johannes M., is accused of administering lethal drug combinations to patients under his care without their knowledge or consent from September 2021 to July 2024.

The victims' ages ranged from 25 to 94.

The physician has been in custody in Berlin since Aug. 6, 2024, after initially being arrested for four deaths. According to the Berlin prosecutor's office, he has not yet entered a plea to the charges.

Prosecutors had initially identified eight victims late last year. As the investigation expanded, they discovered seven additional cases. The special investigative team is currently examining 75 more potential murders, according to the statement.

In several cases, investigators believe the doctor set fire to the victims' apartments to destroy evidence.

The Berliner Zeitung daily reported that the suspect wrote his dissertation at Goethe University Frankfurt on homicide research, titled “Homicides in Frankfurt am Main – An Overview from 1945 to 2008.”

After moving to Berlin in 2021, he worked for a palliative care team in Tempelhof and a nursing service in Kreuzberg.