A doctor with decades of experience tending to the sick has been brought to justice for what the courts have deemed a heinous crime: deliberately ending the lives of 15 vulnerable patients under his care. The 41-year-old German physician, whose identity is protected by law, was found guilty of administering lethal doses of medication to 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024.
Prosecutors painstakingly outlined how the doctor would visit his patients at home, where he would administer a combination of medications without their explicit consent. The victims' ages spanned nearly seven decades, from 25-year-old to 94-year-old, but all were described as critically ill – yet not imminently terminal. In some instances, the court heard allegations that the doctor attempted to conceal his actions by setting fires.
During the lengthy trial, which lasted approximately a year, the doctor remained largely silent until last month, when he confessed to killing 12 of his severely ill patients. He claimed to have convinced himself that ending their lives was merciful, believing it would spare them from "suffering and infirmity." Expressing regret for the anguish he caused, he stated, "I thought this was the best thing for everyone."
The authorities suspect these confirmed murders may be just a fraction of his victims. Prosecutors are currently investigating 76 further cases involving the doctor, leading to concerns that the total number of fatalities could be significantly higher. German media have suggested that if these additional cases are proven, it could rank among the most severe instances of serial murder in the country's history.
The profound impact on the victims' families was evident throughout the proceedings. The mother of the youngest victim, a 25-year-old woman who died in 2021, tearfully told the court, "She never said she didn't want to live anymore." Similarly, the son of a 72-year-old woman, who died in 2024, recounted his mother's plans to travel, stating, "My mother wanted to keep on living." Following his prison sentence, the court ordered the doctor be placed in preventive detention and imposed a lifetime ban on him practising medicine.