Overview

• The trial against 40-year-old Johannes M. began July 14 at Landgericht Berlin on charges of 15 patient murders in his palliative care practice.
• Prosecutors allege he administered lethal drug mixtures to 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024 without medical indication or consent.
• Investigators claim he set fires in at least five victims’ homes to conceal the killings, prompting a dedicated Morddezernat inquiry by the Berlin LKA.
• Fifteen bodies have been exhumed for forensic analysis, and the court has scheduled 35 hearings through January 28, 2026, with up to 150 witnesses and 13 bereaved families as co-plaintiffs.
• The defendant has remained silent and declined psychiatric evaluation as investigators review 72 additional suspected deaths and prosecutors seek preventive detention and a lifelong medical ban.