A 40-year-old palliative care doctor in Germany has been charged with the murder of 15 patients, in a case that has shaken the country and raised serious concerns over medical oversight and patient safety.
Berlin prosecutors allege the doctor administered a deadly combination of drugs — an anaesthetic and a muscle relaxant — to 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024. The muscle relaxant is said to have paralyzed the patients’ respiratory muscles, causing death within minutes.
The accused, whose identity has not been publicly released due to German privacy laws, is also facing charges of attempted arson. Authorities say he set fire to the homes of at least five victims, allegedly to destroy evidence and obscure the cause of death. In one case, he is said to have killed two people in a single day in Berlin — a 75-year-old man and a 76-year-old woman — and tried, unsuccessfully, to set fire to the woman’s home afterward.
The investigation began after suspicions were raised over the deaths of four patients, leading to the doctor’s arrest in August 2024. Since then, a broader investigation has uncovered further suspicious fatalities. More exhumations are expected as authorities continue to examine his patient history.
Prosecutors believe the death toll may rise as they gather more evidence. The victims ranged in age from 25 to 94, and the doctor is known to have worked in several different German states.
The suspect has not confessed to the charges. If convicted, prosecutors are seeking a lifelong professional ban and preventive detention — a measure used in Germany for extremely dangerous individuals to ensure they cannot re-offend.
The case has sparked public outrage and debate in Germany, especially around the monitoring of medical professionals in sensitive care settings like palliative care, where patients are often elderly or terminally ill and less likely to question medical decisions.