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The doctor was part of a nursing service’s end-of-life care team
and was initially suspected in the deaths of just four patients.
That number has crept higher since last summer, and
investigators now say they've found evidence linking him to the
deaths of 15 people between September 22, 2021, and July 24 last
year.
The victims' ages ranged from 25 to 94. Most died in their own
homes.
He allegedly administered an anesthetic and a muscle relaxer to
the patients without their knowledge or consent. The drug
cocktail then allegedly paralyzed the respiratory muscles.
Respiratory arrest and death followed within minutes,
prosecutors said.
The doctor — a 40-year-old man whose name hasn't been released,
in line with German privacy rules — has been in custody since
Aug. 6. Prosecutors said Wednesday that he has not yet responded
to the case against him.
The charges were filed to the Berlin state court, which will now
have to decide whether to bring the case to trial and if so,
when.
Murder charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Prosecutors said they aim to ask the court to establish that the
suspect bears particularly severe guilt, meaning that he
wouldn’t be eligible for release after 15 years as is usually
the case in Germany. They also want him to be banned from his
profession for life.
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