German Doctor Confesses to Killing 12 Patients During Trial
Quick Look
- A 40-year-old German palliative care doctor confessed to killing 12 patients during his high-profile trial at the Berlin Regional Court.
- Charged with 15 murders, he admitted administering a "lethal mixture of various drugs" and apologized to victims' relatives.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
A German palliative care doctor, charged with killing 15 patients between September 2021 and July 2024, confessed to 12 of the murders nearly a year into his trial at the Berlin Regional Court.
A German doctor admitted to having killed 12 patients nearly a year since the start of his high-profile trial at the Berlin Regional Court on Thursday.
The 40-year-old palliative care doctor is charged with killing 15 patients in total – 12 women and three men – between September 2021 and July 2024.
He is alleged to have administered a “lethal mixture of various drugs” to the victims, who were between 25 and 87 years old. Prosecutors also believe he set fires in some cases to try to obscure his acts.
Public prosecutors are investigating dozens of suspected further cases parallel to the trial.
Fifty-four days after the start of the trial in July 2025, the doctor confessed to 12 of the killings in a 30-minute statement on Thursday.
“It is only now that I am able to explain my actions, and I accept responsibility for what I have done,” the court was told. “I apologise for the great suffering I have caused them,” the doctor said, addressing the victims’ relatives, as well as his family and colleagues.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Public prosecutors will continue investigating dozens of suspected further cases parallel to the trial.
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What was the doctor's motive for the killings?
- What specific drugs were in the "lethal mixture"?
