A Berlin court is set to deliver its verdict in the murder trial of a palliative care doctor accused of killing 15 seriously ill patients. Prosecutors have demanded the maximum penalty, seeking life imprisonment, a finding of particular severity of guilt (equivalent to first-degree murder), preventive detention after the sentence, and a lifetime ban from practicing medicine.

The 41-year-old German doctor is accused of killing 12 women and three men during home visits between September 2021 and July 2024. Prosecutors allege he injected patients with a lethal mix of drugs without medical justification and without their knowledge or consent.

Several fires were allegedly set to cover up the killings. The doctor worked in outpatient palliative care in Berlin, where medical teams support seriously ill people by relieving pain and improving quality of life.

The alleged victims ranged in age from 25 to 94. All were seriously ill, but prosecutors say their deaths were not imminent. Relatives told the court some of the patients still had plans and had wanted to live.

The defendant, who has been in custody since August 2024, remained silent for almost two years before admitting shortly before the end of the trial to 12 of the 15 killings.

Source: www.dw.com