A Berlin court on Wednesday convicted Johannes M., a 41-year-old palliative care doctor, and sentenced him to life in prison for murdering 15 patients between September 2021 and July 2024.
Presiding judge Sylvia Busch ruled that a desire for power over victims, rather than compassion, drove the killings. The court ordered preventive detention following his prison term and imposed a lifetime ban on practicing medicine, both measures prosecutors had sought.
The Berlin prosecutor’s office said Johannes M. administered a lethal combination of an anesthetic and a muscle relaxant to patients during home visits without their consent. His 15 victims, aged 25 to 94, were all critically ill but not expected to die imminently. The drug combination paralyzed the respiratory muscles, causing death within minutes. On at least five occasions, prosecutors said, he set fire to victims’ apartments to conceal the crimes.
The 15 convictions may represent only a fraction of his crimes. A special investigation team reviewed 395 cases, with 95 generating preliminary proceedings. Prosecutors are currently investigating 76 additional deaths and expect a further indictment this year. Judge Busch said the 15 murders “may well be only a glimpse of his many crimes.”
German media reported that Johannes M. began his doctoral thesis on homicides with the question “Why do people kill?” During the trial, he confessed to 12 of the killings, telling the court he had convinced himself he was sparing patients suffering. “Throughout it all, I thought this was the best thing for everyone,” he said.
The verdict follows a series of healthcare killings in Germany. A palliative care nurse received a life sentence in November 2025 for murdering 10 patients in Würselen. In 2019, Niels Höger was sentenced to life for the murders of 85 patients.
