Verdict expected in Berlin murder trial against palliative care doctor
A Berlin court is to deliver a verdict in a murder trial against a palliative care doctor accused of killing 15 seriously ill patients.
Verdict expected in Berlin murder trial against palliative care doctor
A Berlin court is to deliver a verdict today in a murder trial against a 41-year-old palliative care doctor accused of killing 15 seriously ill patients.
The public prosecutor has called for the maximum sentence during the nearly year-long trial: life imprisonment, a finding of particularly serious guilt, subsequent preventative detention, and a lifetime ban from practising as a doctor.
The German doctor is alleged to have killed 12 women and three men during home visits between September 2021 and July 2024. According to the prosecution, he injected the patients with lethal drug combinations without medical necessity and without their knowledge or consent.
Several fires are said to have been set to cover up the crimes. The defendant worked in Berlin in outpatient palliative care, where medical teams help seriously ill people manage pain and improve their quality of life.
The alleged victims were aged between 25 and 94. All suffered from serious illnesses, but according to the prosecution, their deaths were not imminent. Relatives testified in court that some patients still had plans and wanted to live.
The defendant, in custody since August 2024, remained silent for almost two years before confessing to 12 of the 15 killings shortly before the end of the trial.
Source: DW
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)