Shock in Berlin

Palliative care doctor alleged to have killed eight patients

A Berlin palliative care doctor is suspected of having killed at least eight patients by administering lethal drug cocktails. The public prosecutor sees "murderous intent" as the motive. 

The man is said to have significantly more people on his conscience than initially assumed. Following further investigations, the Berlin public prosecutor's office is currently assuming that there are at least eight victims and is investigating the murder, according to a spokesperson.

Previously, documents from other patients of the doctor had been evaluated and two further bodies had been unearthed and examined by forensic medicine.

"Mixture of different drugs"
The public prosecutor's office now assumes that the 40-year-old is also responsible for the deaths of two women aged 70 and 61 and two men aged 70 and 83. He is said to have administered a "mixture of different drugs" to each of the victims. The doctor has been in custody since the beginning of August.

He was originally suspected of killing four female patients aged between 72 and 94 in their homes. He then allegedly set fire to them to cover up the crimes. The investigation initially focused on manslaughter and arson.

Motive: "lust for murder"
In the meantime, however, the public prosecutor's office is assuming murder. According to the current state of the investigation, the accused is said to have had no other motive than to kill the victims, as spokesman Büchner announced.

The murder criterion of "murderous intent" is therefore fulfilled. According to the public prosecutor's office, the arrest warrant against the doctor has been extended accordingly by an investigating judge. According to Büchner, the 40-year-old has not yet commented on the allegations.