June 25, 2026, 3:23 p.mJune 25, 2026, 3:23 p.m
Investigations into 76 cases are still ongoing. (symbol image)Image: keystone
After an almost year-long trial, a palliative care doctor accused of murder in several cases in Germany has broken his silence: the 41-year-old admitted killings.
The doctor explained on the 54th day of the trial before the Berlin regional court that he would confess as much as possible. “I am only now able to explain my actions and take responsibility for my actions,” said the defendant. “I apologize for the much suffering I have caused you,” he said to relatives, his family and colleagues.
The German has been on trial since July 2025 because he is said to have killed patients between September 2021 and July 2024 as part of his work as a palliative care doctor. He was arrested at the beginning of August 2024 and has been in custody since then. The Berlin public prosecutor’s office accuses the doctor of medicine of murder out of treachery and other base motives.
In his 30-minute statement, the defendant admitted 12 of the 15 accused crimes.
Wiretapped phone calls
During the trial, wiretapped phone calls a few weeks ago that the doctor had made with his wife from prison were played. In these he had already admitted to killings – but he did not commit murder, the defendant told his wife. He described his actions to her as “moral action using the wrong means”.
The doctor explained in court that he was not speaking out because of the “overwhelming evidence,” but rather because of the conflict with himself over the past few months.
He convinced himself that he was doing the right thing and sparing patients “suffering and infirmity.” “After each crime I thought: This has to stop,” said the defendant. He hated himself for his actions. “I know that I will be sentenced to life in prison. Maybe that’s a consolation for the relatives,” he said, referring to the surviving relatives who appeared as co-plaintiffs in the trial and sat in the courtroom.
Investigations into other cases are ongoing at the same time
The authority initially charged 15 cases in Berlin between September 2021 and July 2024. In some cases, the doctor is said to have set fires to cover up the crimes.
Parallel to the hearing before the court in the German capital, investigations into 76 cases are currently ongoing, according to the public prosecutor’s office. In this context, another exhumation also took place at the end of April, as an authority spokesman said upon request. (sda/dpa)