Case widens

Palliative care doctor allegedly killed ten people

A German palliative care doctor is suspected of killing at least ten people. He is in custody (symbolic image).(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

A German palliative care doctor is alleged to have killed at least ten people. Originally, the Berlin public prosecutor's office assumed there were four victims, later eight (see video above). The doctor is accused of administering "a lethal mixture of various drugs" to the patients.

The 40-year-old has been in custody since the beginning of August. Initially, there were four cases between June 11 and July 24, 2024, in which the doctor allegedly killed the four patients, aged between 72 and 94, in their homes. Further investigations then revealed that he was also responsible for the deaths of two other women (61, 70) and two men (70, 83). He is said to have administered a "mixture of different drugs" to all of them.

Fires triggered investigations
According to the public prosecutor's office, the patients were not in an acute dying phase at the time of the crime. In order to cover up the killing, the palliative care doctor is said to have set fires, which subsequently led to the investigation. Information from the nursing service for which the man had worked led to him.

The Berlin State Office of Criminal Investigation analyzed documents from the doctor's patients. Bodies were also dug up and examined by the forensic medicine department. The accused has not yet commented on the allegations.

Motive "lust for murder"?
The public prosecutor's office considers the motive to be "murderous desire". The number of cases could increase further. The public prosecutor's office and police are appealing for information. "Are there any colleagues of the suspect or relatives of care recipients who have not yet had any contact with the police, but who also had suspicions about the death of their relatives and/or patients?" they said in a statement.