Johannes M., a palliative care doctor, will serve a life sentence for murdering 15 people in their homes and in hospices. The accused murdered his victims using injections filled with various medicines. Twelve of his victims were women, three were men and all 15 were unsuspecting, trusting patients in his care.
Presiding judge Sylvia Busch could be heard saying “unbelievable” repeatedly as the 2-hour explanation of the verdict was delivered in the Berlin Regional Court. Busch also remarked that the accused murdered his victims “simply because he was capable of killing.” His actions in the eyes of the court were not motivated by compassion, nor were they a misguided sense of euthanasia.
The verdict described the case as outrageous. “These acts are likely just the tip of the iceberg.” The doctor, an alleged serial killer, carried out the murder of 15 people between 2021 and 2024. In addition to a lifetime prison sentence, the doctor has been sentenced to a lifelong professional ban.
On the 54th day of the court proceedings, only two weeks before the end of the trial, the doctor made a partial confession. He admitted to 12 of the 15 killings and explained that he was “only now emotionally and intellectually able […] to explain my actions to myself and therefore only now able to take responsibility for my deeds.” The court-appointed psychiatric expert described Johannes M. as a deeply insecure person who, however, did not suffer from any mental illness that could mitigate his guilt.
