A German doctor faced trial in Berlin accused of murdering 15 patients who were receiving end-of-life or palliative care. Prosecutors said the 40-year-old doctor, who was part of a home-care team, targeted patients who were seriously ill and often died at home.

According to the prosecution, the doctor administered a combination of sedatives and other drugs—described as an anesthetic and a muscle relaxant—without patients’ knowledge or consent. Prosecutors alleged the drug cocktail paralyzed the respiratory muscles, leading to respiratory arrest and death within minutes.

Prosecutors also said that in some cases the doctor attempted to destroy evidence. They alleged he set fires in victims’ apartments on multiple occasions to make it look like something other than deliberate killing. In at least one scenario, prosecutors said he later falsely claimed that resuscitation efforts had been underway.

The victims prosecutors linked to the case ranged in age from 25 to 94, and prosecutors said the killings occurred over a span from September 2021 to July 2024. The doctor was held in custody, and the trial involved multiple days of court proceedings across many charges. Prosecutors said investigations into additional suspicious deaths were ongoing in parallel proceedings.