Berlin palliative doctor sentenced to life imprisonment for murder of 15 patients
A Berlin court has sentenced a 41-year-old German palliative doctor to life imprisonment for the murder of 15 patients.
Berlin palliative doctor sentenced to life imprisonment for murder of 15 patients
A Berlin court has sentenced a 41-year-old German palliative doctor to life imprisonment for the killing of 15 patients, as the BBC reports.
According to the court's verdict, the doctor killed twelve women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024. The victims were between 25 and 94 years old. Although they were seriously ill, they were not in immediate danger of death.
According to the prosecution, the doctor administered a lethal combination of medications to his patients during home visits without their consent. In several cases, he also set fires to cover up his actions.
During the approximately one-year trial, the doctor remained silent for a long time. Only in the past month did he confess to having killed twelve seriously ill patients. He said he believed he was doing the right thing by freeing them from their suffering and asked for forgiveness for the pain he had caused.
Investigations are ongoing. The authorities are currently investigating 76 further suspicious deaths in which the same doctor may have been involved. Should these suspicions lead to further convictions, the case could become one of the most serious serial murders in German criminal history.
In Germany, a person sentenced to life imprisonment can apply for early release at the earliest after 15 years under certain conditions.
The court assessed the doctor's actions as extraordinarily serious. In addition to the life sentence, he was sentenced to subsequent preventive detention. He also permanently lost his medical licence.
Source: Iltalehti