Prosecutors said the victims died of respiratory arrest within minutes. Johannes M. reportedly attempted to hide the alleged crimes by setting fires on many occasions.
However, these purported efforts at concealment drew police attention, and they looked into the fatalities as potentially arson-related.
The 40-year-old was employed as a palliative care physician at a nursing service in the German capital between September 22, 2021, and July 24, 2024,
When the killings are said to have occurred. The doctor’s job in such position would have been to relieve the suffering of patients who were really sick.
Between June 11 and July 24 of last year, he is suspected of murdering four of them—ages 72 to 94—in their homes. He was accused of the first four of these crimes.
The youngest is thought to have been 25, according to authorities, as the reported death toll increased. He has been accused with 15 fatalities, but police suspect there may be several more.
In relation to the doctor, investigators looked at 395 instances. Seventy-five of them are still being investigated outside of these procedures.
