TO Doctor in Berlin He has been accused of murder for the death of 15 patients under palliative care, prosecutors said on Wednesday, claiming that he acted from a “lust” for killing. He is also accused of trying to cover up the evidence starting fires in his homes.
The doctor was part of the care team at the end of the life of a nursing service and was initially suspended in the Deaths of only four patients. That number has Is higher Since last summer, and researchers now say they have found evidence that links it with the death of 15 people between September 22, 2021 and July 24 last year.
The ages of the victims ranged between 25 and 94 years. Most died in their own homes.
German press reports identify the suspect as Johannes M., but prosecutors have not published a name, in line with German privacy rules.
The 40 -year -old doctor supposedly “administered an anesthetic and a relaxing muscle for his patients without consent,” said Berlin prosecutor’s office in a statement. “The letter paralyzed the respiratory muscles, which led to respiratory trial and death in a matter of minutes.”
Prosecutors and the police said that it is said that the accused had no reason beyond death, and that the acts of the suspect comply with the legal definition of “lust for murder.”
The doctor has been in custody since August 6. Prosecutors said Wednesday that he has not yet responded to the case against him.
The charges were presented to the State Court of Berlin, which will now have to decide whether to take the case to trial and, if so, when.
The murder charges carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Prosecutors said that their goal is to ask the Court to establish that the suspect has a partularly severe fault, which means that it would not be eligible for liberation after 15 years, as is Weally the case in Germany. Also because he will be expelled from his professional for life.
The case recalls that of the notorious German nurse Niels HogelWho was sentenced in 2019 to life imprisonment for killing 85 patients under their care.
HOEGEL, which is believed to be Germany More prolific serial killerThey murdered hospital patients with lethal injections between 2000 and 2005, before it was possible caught in the law.
In a more recent case in Germany, a 27 -year -old male nurse was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2023 for killing two patients deliberately managing non -described drugs. The nurse, identified as Mario G., was also convicted of six positions of murder attempt.
In England, neonatal nurse Lucy Letby is fulfilling life imprisonment to Killing seven babies and trying to kill others. However, in February, a panel or experts Played medical evidence I used to condemn Letby. Last month, Lotby’s lawyers and former hospital executives where he worked asked a judge to stop an investigation into death, citing the expert panel.
Agance France-Presse contributed to this report.