German doctor dubbed 'Doctor Death' goes on trial for murdering 15 patients
He allegedly injected the victims, aged between 25 and 94, with a deadly cocktail of sedatives and in some cases set fire to their homes in a bid to cover up his crimes.
A co-worker first raised the alarm about Johannes M. last July after becoming suspicious that so many of his patients had died in fires, according to Die Zeit newspaper.
He was arrested in August, with prosecutors initially linking him to four deaths. But investigations threw up a host of other suspicious cases, and in April prosecutors charged Johannes M. with 15 counts of murder.
A further 96 cases are still being investigated, a prosecution spokesman told AFP, including the death of Johannes M.'s mother-in-law. She had been suffering from cancer and mysteriously died the same weekend that Johannes M. and his wife went to visit her in Poland in early 2024, according to media reports.
Muscle relaxant
The suspect, dubbed "doctor death" by German media, reportedly trained as a radiologist and a general practitioner before going on to specialise in palliative care.
According to Die Zeit, he submitted a doctoral thesis in 2013 looking into the motives behind a series of killings in Frankfurt, which opened with the words "Why do people kill?"
Prosecutors say that in all 15 cases, Johannes M. "administered an anaesthetic and a muscle relaxant to his patients... without their knowledge or consent". The relaxant "paralysed the respiratory muscles, leading to respiratory arrest and death within minutes".
In five cases, Johannes M. allegedly set fire to the victims' apartments after administering the injections. On one occasion, he is accused of murdering two patients on the same day. On the morning of July 8, 2024, he allegedly killed a 75-year-old man at his home in the Berlin district of Kreuzberg.
"A few hours later" he is said to have struck again, killing a 76-year-old woman in the neighbouring Neukoelln district. Prosecutors say he started a fire in the woman's apartment, but it went out.
"When he realised this, he allegedly informed a relative of the woman and claimed that he was standing in front of her flat and that nobody was answering the doorbell," prosecutors said. In another case, Johannes M. "falsely claimed to have already begun resuscitation efforts" on a 56-year-old victim, who was initially kept alive by rescuers but died three days later in hospital.
'No motive beyond killing'
Johannes M. has not commented on the accusations against him. Prosecutors say he had "no motive beyond killing" and are seeking a life sentence. The case recalls that of notorious German nurse Niels Hoegel, who was handed a life sentence in 2019 for murdering 85 patients.
Hoegel, believed to be Germany's most prolific serial killer, murdered hospital patients with lethal injections between 2000 and 2005, before he was eventually caught in the act. More recently, a 27-year-old nurse was given a life sentence in 2023 for murdering two patients by deliberately administering unprescribed drugs.
In March, another nurse went on trial in Aachen accused of injecting 26 patients with large doses of sedatives or painkillers, resulting in nine deaths.
Last week, German police revealed they are investigating another doctor suspected of killing several mainly elderly patients. Investigators are "reviewing" deaths linked to the doctor from the town of Pinneberg in northern Germany, just outside Hamburg, police and prosecutors said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Trump supporters angry over Jeffrey Epstein case. Here's what to know
A broken promise to release more information about the Jeffrey Epstein case has sparked outrage among some of President Donald Trump's loyal supporters. Conservatives, led by key figures in the MAGA movement, have pressed unsubstantiated claims that Epstein was murdered.(AFP) The Justice Department last week said Epstein, who was facing charges of sex trafficking, did not leave behind a 'client list.' Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested in February it was on her desk, though she later said she was referring to the overall case file. Bondi also said officials were poring over a 'truckload' of previously withheld evidence. The Justice Department concluded, however, that public disclosure would not be appropriate and that much of the material was placed under seal by a judge. That has angered right-wing influencers who were once bolstered by Trump's own claims on this case, but are now feeling their demands are being squelched by his administration. Figures like commentator Tucker Carlson, right-wing activist Laura Loomer, and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon claim the government's handling of the case shows a lack of transparency. Anger over the case threatens to divide the MAGA faithful. Here's a look at the Epstein sex trafficking case, how the Trump administration has handled it and how his supporters have reacted to recent developments. What is the Epstein case? Epstein was a wealthy financier arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. His former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was charged with helping him abuse teenage girls. Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in New York City about a month after he was arrested. Investigators concluded he killed himself. Maxwell later was convicted at trial and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The case attracted attention because of Epstein and Maxwell's links to famous people, including royals, presidents and billionaires. It also led to some of the biggest conspiracy theories animating Trump's base. Conservatives, led by key figures in the MAGA movement, have pressed unsubstantiated claims that Epstein was murdered and that 'deep state' actors in the government are hiding lists of his clients, videos of crimes being committed and other evidence. Trump himself suggested there was a cover-up. What are the 'Epstein Files'? Trump lately has tried to change the subject, but the Epstein matter commands attention because of the words and actions from his administration. In February, far-right influencers were invited to the White House and provided with binders marked 'The Epstein Files: Phase 1' and 'Declassified.' The binders contained documents that had largely already been in the public domain. Bondi said in May there were 'tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn.' That fueled a belief that details about powerful figures had been suppressed. 'It's a new administration and everything is going to come out to the public,' Bondi said at one point. Multiple people who participated in the criminal cases of Epstein and Maxwell told The Associated Press that they had not seen and did not know of a trove of recordings along the lines of what Bondi had referenced. What happened last week? The Justice Department on July 7 acknowledged that Epstein did not have a list of clients and said no more files related to Epstein's case would be made public. A two-page memo that bore the logos of the FBI and Justice Department, but that was not signed by any individual, said the DOJ determined that no 'further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.' It said much of the material was placed under seal by a court to protect victims and 'only a fraction' of it 'would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial.' It was a huge retreat from what Bondi and others had previously claimed. And it prompted anger — and more suspicion and conspiracy theories — from the MAGA faithful. Some MAGA world influencers, including Loomer and Glenn Beck, have explicitly called on Bondi to resign. Former Fox News personality Megyn Kelly, who is now a podcaster, called Bondi 'either lazy or incompetent.' What had Trump said about Epstein before his second term? As far back as 2019, Trump suggested that Epstein's death was a cover-up and called for a full investigation. In retweeting a post by conservative pundit and comedian Terrance K. Williams, who suggested that former President Bill Clinton may have been involved, Trump wrote that Epstein 'had information on Bill Clinton & now he's dead.' When asked about his retweet, Trump said he was merely 'demanding' a full investigation, a day after then-Attorney General Bill Barr said there had been 'serious irregularities' at the prison where Epstein was being held. In a 2023 interview, Trump told Carlson he believed that Epstein had committed suicide. But he couched his response, saying it was also 'possible' that he had been murdered, a theory he said 'many people.' believed. Last year, Trump was asked on Fox News whether he would declassify documents regarding the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and he answered 'yeah.' He was then asked about the 'Epstein files,' and he said 'yeah, yeah, I would,' but then added 'I think that less so because you don't want to affect people's lives if it's phony stuff in there, because it's a lot of phony stuff with that whole world. But I think I would.' What has Trump said recently? In a Cabinet meeting last week, Trump called it 'unbelievable' and a 'desecration' that people were still talking about 'this creep,' given other pressing matters, including the catastrophic flooding in Texas. In a social media post on Saturday, he expressed support for Bondi. 'What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?'' Trump wrote. 'They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening.'
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
89 killed as Syria sectarian clashes rage
At least 89 people were killed in the southern Syrian province of Sweida as clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters raged for a second day Monday, a monitor said. The Syrian military and interior ministries announced troop deployments, safe corridors for civilians and a pledge to end the fighting "quickly and decisively".(AFP) As the violence escalated, Israel -- which had previously warned that it would intervene in Syria to protect the Druze -- said it struck "several tanks" in Sweida, without providing further details. The fighting underscores the challenges facing interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, whose Islamist forces ousted president Bashar al-Assad in December, in a country reeling from 14 years of war. The Syrian military and interior ministries announced troop deployments, safe corridors for civilians and a pledge to end the fighting "quickly and decisively". The violence began Sunday when Bedouin gunmen abducted a Druze vegetable vendor on the highway to Damascus, prompting retaliatory kidnappings. Though hostages were later released, the fighting carried on Monday outside Sweida city, with mortar fire hitting villages and dozens wounded, said the Suwayda 24 news outlet. The streets of Sweida were deserted, with an AFP photographer reporting gunfire during funerals. "We lived in a state of extreme terror -- the shells were falling randomly," said Abu Taym, a 51-year-old father in Sweida. "Traffic on the streets is paralysed, and most shops are closed." Suwayda 24 reported the arrival of "dozens of victims" at hospitals as a result of clashes in the province's western countryside and shelling of villages. The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources on the ground, raised its death toll to 89, including 46 Druze, four civilians, 18 Bedouin fighters and seven unidentified people in military uniforms. A defence ministry source told Al-Ekhbariya state television six security forces personnel were killed "during disengagement operations in Sweida". An AFP correspondent on the outskirts of Sweida city saw vehicles carrying fighters, large interior ministry military convoys, civilian vehicles and motorcycles carrying armed men towards the front lines, as well as ambulances transporting the wounded to hospitals in Damascus. While Druze spiritual leaders called for calm and urged Damascus to intervene. Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, one of the three Druze spiritual leaders in Sweida, expressed his "rejection of the entry" of general security forces into the province, demanding "international protection". 'Lack of state institutions' In a Sunday post on X, Interior Minister Anas Khattab said: "The lack of state, military and security institutions is a major reason for the ongoing tensions in Sweida, "The only solution is to reactivate these institutions to ensure civil peace," he added. The latest bloodshed follows deadly violence in April and May, when clashes between Druze fighters and security forces in Druze-populated areas near Damascus and Sweida killed more than 100 people. The Observatory said members of Bedouin tribes, who are Sunni Muslim, had sided with security forces during earlier confrontations. Local leaders and religious figures brokered agreements at the time to de-escalate the tensions, putting Druze fighters in charge of security in Sweida since May, though armed Bedouins remain present in several areas. On Sunday, Sweida governor Mustapha al-Bakur urged his constituents to "exercise self-restraint", while Druze community leaders urged authorities to step in. In response to the violence, the education ministry announced the postponement of Monday's scheduled secondary school exams in the province. Israel and the Druze Syria's pre-civil war Druze population numbers around 700,000, many in Sweida province. The Druze, followers of an esoteric religion that split from Shiite Islam, are mainly found in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Bedouin and Druze factions have a longstanding feud in Sweida, and violence occasionally erupts between the two sides. A surge in violence in March targeting the Alawite community -- with more than 1,700 killed -- and the subsequent attacks on Druze areas have undermined confidence in the new Syrian authorities' ability to protect minorities. In the wake of those incidents, Israel -- which has occupied part of Syria's Golan Heights since 1967 -- cited the protection of the Druze to justify several strikes, including one in early May near the presidential palace in Damascus. Israel is home to around 152,000 Druze, according to the latest available data, including 24,000 living in the Israeli-occupied Golan, of whom fewer than five percent hold Israeli citizenship.
NDTV
10 hours ago
- NDTV
'Used To Be Man': French First Lady Approaches Court In Gender Rumour Case
France's first lady has taken her case against two women over claims she used to be man to the highest appeals court after a lower court let them off, her lawyer said Monday. On Thursday, the Paris appeals court overturned earlier convictions against the two women for spreading false claims -- that went viral online -- that Brigitte Macron, 72, used to be a man. Disinformation on Macron's gender has circulated on social media for years. Her 24-year age difference with President Emmanuel Macron has also attracted much comment. Brigitte Macron filed a libel complaint against the two women after they posted a YouTube video in December 2021, alleging she had once been a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux -- who is actually Brigitte Macron's brother. In the video, defendant Amandine Roy, a self-proclaimed spiritual medium, interviewed Natacha Rey, a self-described independent journalist, for four hours on her YouTube channel. Rey spoke about the "state lie" and "scam" she claimed to have uncovered that Jean-Michel Trogneux had changed gender to become Brigitte, and then married the future president. The claim went viral, including among conspiracy theorists in the United States. A lower court in September last year had ordered the two women to pay 8,000 euros ($9,400) in damages to Brigitte Macron, and 5,000 euros to her brother. Brigitte Macron's lawyer Jean Ennochi told AFP Sunday that her brother, too, was taking his case against the dismissal of the charges to the highest appeals court, the Court de Cassation.
