A Berlin palliative care doctor has been charged with murdering 15 patients in a case prosecutors describe as driven by a “lust for murder”, The Guardian reported.
The 40-year-old suspect, identified in local media as Johannes M., allegedly killed 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024. Prosecutors claim he used lethal doses of anaesthetics and muscle relaxants, leading to respiratory failure within minutes.
“The accused appears to have had no motive for killing the people other than the act of killing itself,” prosecutors said. Victims ranged in age from 25 to 94.
In some instances, the suspect is accused of setting fires in victims’ homes to cover his tracks. One such attempt failed, after which he allegedly called a relative pretending to be concerned when no one answered the door.
On 8 July 2024, he is accused of killing two patients hours apart, a 75-year-old man in Kreuzberg and a 76-year-old woman in nearby Neukoelln.
He also reportedly called emergency services after one killing, falsely claiming to have attempted resuscitation. The victim later died in the hospital.
Initially arrested on suspicion of manslaughter linked to four deaths, the charges now include 15 alleged murders. Prosecutors are seeking a lifetime professional ban and preventive detention.
A special investigative team has flagged 395 potentially suspicious cases for review. Of these, 95 have led to preliminary investigations, with 12 exhumations already carried out and five more planned.
The case mirrors another ongoing trial in Germany where a nurse is accused of killing nine patients by overdosing them during night shifts.
