A doctor in Berlin, who was first arrested in August on suspicion of killing four elderly patients, is now suspected of killing a total of 10 patients, and in five cases tries to cover the evidence by starting fires, investigators said on Tuesday.
Initially suspected by an unknown doctor who was a Four patients In June and July, and then the attempt, with ambiguous success, set up their apartments. In November, investigators said they found the evidence that showed that he Killed another four patientsand on Tuesday they said suspected him Killing two more patients.
Police and prosecutors said on Tuesday that two additional cases came up when they studied patients and conducted forensic examinations, including exhumation.
The last two cases include the alleged murder of a 25-year-old woman in her apartment in Berlin in September 2021, in which the 40-year-old doctor is suspected of giving the woman a deadly mixture of various drugs to kill her.
In addition, he is suspected of killing a 57-year-old woman last June, also in his apartment in Berlin, appointing a deadly mix of medicines, investigators said.
Prosecutors and police said in a joint statement that the defendants said they had no motives outside the murder, and that the suspect's actions were in line with the legal determination of the “lust of the murder”.
According to the latest conclusions, the killings occurred since September 2021 and last summer.
On Tuesday, police also called on former colleagues of the suspect or relatives of the beneficiaries who did not have contacts with law enforcement, but may also have suspicions of the death of patients and relatives, urging them to contact the police.
The suspect's name was not released in accordance with the German privacy rules. Prosecutors say he has not yet answered the allegations.
The case is reminiscent of a sad German nurse Niel's Hogelwho was convicted in 2019 for a lifetime imprisonment for killing 85 patients.
Hogel is supposedly Germany Most of the prolific serial killerThey killed patients at a hospital with deadly injections from 2000 to 2005 before he was eventually caught by law.
In the later case in Germany, a 27-year-old man's nurse was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2023 for killing two patients, intentionally introducing unwritten drugs. A nurse identified as Mario G. was also found guilty of six articles for attempting to murder.
In England a newborn nurse Lucy Letby is serving a lifetime Murder seven babies and attempt to kill six others. However earlier this month's expert group challenged medical evidence used to condemn lethby.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.