Palliative care doctor confesses to killing twelve patients before Berlin Regional Court

In his statement before the court, the 41-year-old described how he had convinced himself that he was doing the right thing and sparing his patients suffering and frailty. He said he had hated himself for his actions. At the same time, he spoke of "moral action with the wrong means" and said: "Ich bin erst jetzt in der Lage, mein Handeln zu erklären, und übernehme die Verantwortung für meine Taten."

Addressing his wife, the defendant declared that the acts had not been murder. Intercepted telephone conversations from detention had already been played in the trial some weeks before the confession. In them, the doctor had admitted to the killings but described them to his wife as not being murders.

Confession and words to the bereaved

To the relatives of the victims, his family, and his colleagues, the defendant turned with the words: "Ich entschuldige mich für das viele Leid, das ich über sie gebracht habe." He added: "Ich weiß, dass ich zu einer lebenslangen Haftstrafe verurteilt werde. Vielleicht ist das ein Trost für die Angehörigen." He also said: "Nach jeder Tat dachte ich: Das muss aufhören."

According to presiding judge Sylvia Busch, the taking of evidence could be closed after the psychiatric assessment scheduled for the continuation day at 9:30 a.m. Closing arguments could therefore begin as early as Monday, 29 June. The psychiatric expert opinion is to address the personality and criminal responsibility of the 41-year-old.

Further investigations and psychiatric expert opinion

The joint plaintiffs, who are supported by relatives of those killed, were present in the courtroom when the defendant delivered his statement. Parallel to the ongoing proceedings, the public prosecutor's office is conducting investigations in a further 76 cases, according to the authority. At the end of April, the authority also had another exhumation carried out in the course of these investigations, a spokesperson confirmed on request.

The defendant stated that he was not speaking because of the overwhelming weight of evidence, but because of his self-reflection over the past months. He described his actions as "moralisches Handeln mit den falschen Mitteln" and stressed that he was only now able to put his conduct in context.

Before his arrest, the doctor with a doctorate worked as a palliative care physician in Berlin. Palliative medicine is the medical care of severely ill and dying people with the aim of alleviating suffering. The accusations therefore weigh especially heavily, because they describe precisely the opposite of the medical mission.

The report was broadcast on 25 June 2026 at 11:20 a.m. on rbb24 Inforadio. The Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) also reported on the day of proceedings. The Berlin Regional Court is expected to bring the trial to a close in the coming days with the psychiatric expert opinion and the subsequent closing arguments.

A verdict has not yet been handed down. If the court follows the application of the public prosecutor's office, a life sentence would be the expected consequence. The defendant himself evidently expects this outcome.