A palliative care doctor in Germany has been sentenced to prison after being convicted of murdering 15 patients under his care.
The court in Berlin found the 41-year-old doctor, identified as Johannes M, guilty of killing 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024.
Delivering the judgment on Wednesday, Judge Sylvia Busch said the conviction for the 15 murders could point to additional crimes, as investigators continue to examine other deaths linked to the doctor.
During the trial, Johannes M admitted to killing his patients, telling the court that he acted to spare them "suffering and infirmity."
"I killed my patients to save them from suffering and infirmity," he said.
He also told the court: "Throughout it all, I thought this was the best thing for everyone."
Prosecutors said the doctor injected patients with lethal doses of sedatives and other medications without their consent.
They also alleged that he frequently set fires after the killings in an attempt to destroy evidence. According to prosecutors, two patients were killed on the same day in July 2024.
Authorities are continuing to investigate whether Johannes M may have been responsible for additional deaths beyond the 15 murders for which he was convicted.
