A German doctor was put on trial on Monday (July 14) for allegedly killing 15 patients with lethal injections and playing "master of life and death" over patients under his care. The 40-year-old palliative care physician, identified by German media as Johannes M, is suspected of having killed 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024, while practicing in Berlin. The doctor is accused of having injected victims, who were between 25 and 94 years old, with lethal mixtures of sedatives and in other instances burning down their houses in an attempt to cover up his crimes.&nbsp;The defendant had “visited his patients under the pretext of providing medical care”, state prosecutor Philipp Meyhoefer said at the beginning of the trial in the Berlin state court. Johannes M had planned "house calls, already with the intention of killing" and exploited his patients' faith in him as a physician, Meyhoefer explained further. "He acted with disregard for life... and behaved as the master of life and death." &nbsp;A colleague initially raised concerns about Johannes M last July when he became suspicious that so many of his patients had died in fires, Die Zeit newspaper reported. He was arrested in August last year, as prosecutors initially charged him with four deaths. But further investigations revealed a multitude of other suspicious cases, and in April prosecutors indicted Johannes M. on 15 counts of murder. Another 96 cases are under investigation, a spokesman for the prosecutors was quoted saying to AFP, including the death of Johannes M's mother-in-law. She had been ill with cancer and died under mysterious circumstances over the same weekend Johannes M and his wife traveled to see her in Poland early in 2024, according to media reports. The suspect allegedly qualified as a radiologist and an general practitioner before proceeding to specialise in palliative medicine.&nbsp;According to Die Zeit, he submitted a doctoral thesis in 2013 examining the reasons for a string of murders in Frankfurt, which began with the question "Why do people kill?"&nbsp;In the indictment against Johannes M, prosecutors said the physician had "injected his patients with an anaesthetic and a muscle relaxant. without their knowledge or consent.". The relaxant "paralysed the respiratory muscles, causing respiratory arrest and death within minutes".<h2>‘No motive beyond killing’&nbsp;</h2>Prosecutors said that he has "no motive beyond killing" and are calling for a life sentence. The case is reminiscent of that of infamous German nurse Niels Hoegel, who was sentenced to life in 2019 after being convicted of killing 85 patients.&nbsp;Hoegel, who is believed to be modern Germany's most prolific serial killer, killed hospital patients through lethal injections between 2000 and 2005, before he was finally apprehended in the act.&nbsp;In more recent times, a 27-year-old nurse received a life sentence in 2023 for killing two patients by intentionally giving them unprescribed medication. A nurse was tried last month in Aachen charged with injecting 26 patients with heavy doses of sedatives or painkillers, killing nine of them.&nbsp;Last week, German police uncovered that they are investigating another suspected serial killer doctor who has allegedly killed several of their predominantly elderly patients. Police and prosecutors said investigators are "examining" deaths attributable to the physician in the northern German town of Pinneberg, on the outskirts of Hamburg.

Who is ‘Doctor Death’, accused of killing patients with lethal injections in Germany? Trial begins for murders

A German doctor was put on trial on Monday (July 14) for allegedly killing 15 patients with lethal injections and playing "master of life and death" over patients under his care. The 40-year-old palliative care physician, identified by German media as Johannes M, is suspected of having killed 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024, while practicing in Berlin. The doctor is accused of having injected victims, who were between 25 and 94 years old, with lethal mixtures of sedatives and in other instances burning down their houses in an attempt to cover up his crimes. The defendant had “visited his patients under the pretext of providing medical care”, state prosecutor Philipp Meyhoefer said at the beginning of the trial in the Berlin state court. Johannes M had planned "house calls, already with the intention of killing" and exploited his patients' faith in him as a physician, Meyhoefer explained further. "He acted with disregard for life... and behaved as the master of life and death." A colleague initially raised concerns about Johannes M last July when he became suspicious that so many of his patients had died in fires, Die Zeit newspaper reported. He was arrested in August last year, as prosecutors initially charged him with four deaths. But further investigations revealed a multitude of other suspicious cases, and in April prosecutors indicted Johannes M. on 15 counts of murder. Another 96 cases are under investigation, a spokesman for the prosecutors was quoted saying to AFP, including the death of Johannes M's mother-in-law. She had been ill with cancer and died under mysterious circumstances over the same weekend Johannes M and his wife traveled to see her in Poland early in 2024, according to media reports. The suspect allegedly qualified as a radiologist and an general practitioner before proceeding to specialise in palliative medicine. According to Die Zeit, he submitted a doctoral thesis in 2013 examining the reasons for a string of murders in Frankfurt, which began with the question "Why do people kill?" In the indictment against Johannes M, prosecutors said the physician had "injected his patients with an anaesthetic and a muscle relaxant. without their knowledge or consent.". The relaxant "paralysed the respiratory muscles, causing respiratory arrest and death within minutes". ‘No motive beyond killing’ Prosecutors said that he has "no motive beyond killing" and are calling for a life sentence. The case is reminiscent of that of infamous German nurse Niels Hoegel, who was sentenced to life in 2019 after being convicted of killing 85 patients. Hoegel, who is believed to be modern Germany's most prolific serial killer, killed hospital patients through lethal injections between 2000 and 2005, before he was finally apprehended in the act. In more recent times, a 27-year-old nurse received a life sentence in 2023 for killing two patients by intentionally giving them unprescribed medication. A nurse was tried last month in Aachen charged with injecting 26 patients with heavy doses of sedatives or painkillers, killing nine of them. Last week, German police uncovered that they are investigating another suspected serial killer doctor who has allegedly killed several of their predominantly elderly patients. Police and prosecutors said investigators are "examining" deaths attributable to the physician in the northern German town of Pinneberg, on the outskirts of Hamburg.

The 40-year-old palliative care specialist, named by German media as Johannes M, is alleged to have killed 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024 while working in Berlin

While doctors have been protesting for their safety for over a month in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, the capital city&nbsp;New Delhi witnessed a gruesome murder where a 55-year-old doctor was shot dead by two teenagers in the early hours of Thursday (Oct 3).&nbsp;

According to the hospital staff, the two accused, aged between 16 and 17, arrived at the&nbsp;Nima Hospital, in Delhi's Jaitpur area, at around 1.30 am local time, seeking treatment.

One of them requested a change of dressing for his injured toe, having been treated a night earlier. However, after the dressing was done, the duo said they wanted a prescription and went to the cabin of Dr Javed Akhtar, a practitioner of Unani Medicine.

After reaching the cabin, they shot Dr Akhtar in the head, leaving him to die. Nursing staff Gajala Parveen and Md Kamil arrived on the scene minutes later and saw the doctor bleeding from his head.&nbsp;

"At around 1 am, two teenage boys came to the hospital for treatment. After the treatment, they entered the doctor's cabin and shot him in the head. Dr Javed was on night duty from 8 pm. He worked in the hospital for two years," one of the staffers said.&nbsp;

Polic is of the view that it was a case of targeted killing and the&nbsp;assailants' visit the previous night could have been for a recce.

Also watch |&nbsp;New twist in Kolkata doctor rape-murder case

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/kolkata-rape-murder-case-new-twist-in-kolkata-doctor-rape-murder-case-756137/embed" width="560"></iframe>

<h2>Doctors' safety questioned&nbsp;</h2>

The Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) raised questions regarding the safety of doctors in the country and demanded thorough investigation into the case.&nbsp;

"An incident like this happening at workplace of a doctor, in the capital city of India?&nbsp;Isn’t this a blatant disregard for law and order in the city?&nbsp;Why are doctors becoming easy targets in the hospitals?&nbsp;Who will answer? @LtGovDelhi @CMODelhi @AtishiAAP @ArvindKejriwal," FORDA said in a post on X.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A doctor at NIMA hospital, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a> was shot dead at point blank range yesterday night. 
 
According to <a href="https://twitter.com/DelhiPolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DelhiPolice</a>- prima facie it’s a case of targeted killing- unprovoked &amp; possibly planned. 
 
Dr Akhtar was a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BUMS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BUMS</a> practitioner. May his soul rest in peace. 
 
‼️An incident like… <a href="https://t.co/UQZmsYyLlc">pic.twitter.com/UQZmsYyLlc</a>
— FORDA INDIA (@FordaIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/FordaIndia/status/1841697627483615633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Meanwhile, ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) trained guns on Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena over the law and order situation in the national capital as the Delhi Police reports to the Central government.&nbsp;

"Delhi has become crime capital - Gangsters operating with ease, extortion calls and firings and daily murders. Central Govt &amp; @LtGovDelhi have failed in their basic work for Delhi," Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/kolkata-doctor-rape-murder-case-doctors-in-indias-west-bengal-resume-their-total-cease-work-763384">Also read |&nbsp;Kolkata doctor rape-murder case: Junior doctors in India's West Bengal resume their 'total cease work'</a>

The incident comes in the backdrop of a junior trainee doctor&nbsp;being brutally raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in July, leading to strong protests regarding the safety of doctors in the country.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

While doctors have been protesting for their safety for over a month in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, the capital city New Delhi witnessed a gruesome murder where a 55-year-old doctor was shot dead by two teenagers in the early hours of Thursday (Oct 3).

While doctors have been protesting for their safety for over a month in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, the capital city New Delhi witnessed a gruesome murder where a 55-year-old doctor was shot dead by two teenagers in the early hours of Thursday (Oct 3). According to the hospital staff, the two accused, aged between 16 and 17, arrived at the Nima Hospital, in Delhi's Jaitpur area, at around 1.30 am local time, seeking treatment. One of them requested a change of dressing for his injured toe, having been treated a night earlier. However, after the dressing was done, the duo said they wanted a prescription and went to the cabin of Dr Javed Akhtar, a practitioner of Unani Medicine. After reaching the cabin, they shot Dr Akhtar in the head, leaving him to die. Nursing staff Gajala Parveen and Md Kamil arrived on the scene minutes later and saw the doctor bleeding from his head. "At around 1 am, two teenage boys came to the hospital for treatment. After the treatment, they entered the doctor's cabin and shot him in the head. Dr Javed was on night duty from 8 pm. He worked in the hospital for two years," one of the staffers said. Polic is of the view that it was a case of targeted killing and the assailants' visit the previous night could have been for a recce. Also watch | New twist in Kolkata doctor rape-murder case Doctors' safety questioned The Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) raised questions regarding the safety of doctors in the country and demanded thorough investigation into the case. "An incident like this happening at workplace of a doctor, in the capital city of India? Isn’t this a blatant disregard for law and order in the city? Why are doctors becoming easy targets in the hospitals? Who will answer? @LtGovDelhi @CMODelhi @AtishiAAP @ArvindKejriwal," FORDA said in a post on X. A doctor at NIMA hospital, #Delhi was shot dead at point blank range yesterday night. According to @DelhiPolice- prima facie it’s a case of targeted killing- unprovoked & possibly planned. Dr Akhtar was a #BUMS practitioner. May his soul rest in peace. ‼️An incident like… pic.twitter.com/UQZmsYyLlc — FORDA INDIA (@FordaIndia) October 3, 2024 × Meanwhile, ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) trained guns on Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena over the law and order situation in the national capital as the Delhi Police reports to the Central government. "Delhi has become crime capital - Gangsters operating with ease, extortion calls and firings and daily murders. Central Govt & @LtGovDelhi have failed in their basic work for Delhi," Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said. Also read | Kolkata doctor rape-murder case: Junior doctors in India's West Bengal resume their 'total cease work' The incident comes in the backdrop of a junior trainee doctor being brutally raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in July, leading to strong protests regarding the safety of doctors in the country. (With inputs from agencies)

Delhi hospital horror: Doctor shot dead by 2 teenagers who entered hospital under pretext of injury

A Facebook post about a “healthy” doctor dying two weeks after taking the COVID-19 vaccine was the “most viewed content” on its platform in the first three months of 2021, the social media giant said in its transparency report.

The content reportedly attracted nearly 54 million views.

This information was part of Facebook’s first-quarter content transparency report that was released on Saturday—initially believed to be shelved.

The tech giant released the report after the New York Times claimed that the executives at the social media firm held back from sharing it with the public as it would “look bad for the company”.

However, countering the claims, Facebook’s Policy Communications Manager Andy Stone took to Twitter to issue a clarification.

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We’ve been getting criticism for holding an internal report until it was more favorable for us and then releasing it. Getting criticism isn’t unfair. But it’s worth taking a closer look -- and making note of some of the components of the story.
— Andy Stone (@andymstone) <a href="https://twitter.com/andymstone/status/1429207926800068612?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

“We’ve been getting criticism for holding an internal report until it was more favourable for us and then releasing it. Getting criticism isn’t unfair. But it’s worth taking a closer look — and making note of some of the components of the story.” “News outlets wrote about the south Florida doctor that died. When the coroner released a cause of death, the Chicago Tribune appended an update to its original story; NYTimes did not. Would it have been right to remove the Times story because it was COVID misinformation?” he tweeted.

He said the reason the report wasn’t released earlier "because there were key fixes to the system we wanted to make.”

The story was initially published by the South Florida Sun Sentinel which was later reposted by the Chicago Tribune.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-set-to-label-all-covid-related-posts-to-battle-misinformation-370595">Facebook set to label all COVID-related posts to battle misinformation</a>

The report revealed that a doctor in Miami died two weeks after receiving the Pfizer vaccine, calling it “possibly the nation’s first death linked to the vaccine.”

The story was then updated stating that the doctor died from a condition that causes internal bleeding, but a medical examiner's report couldn't rule out whether the vaccine was the key factor.

Facebook and other social media companies have been criticised for how they handle the spread of misinformation on their platforms.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

A Facebook post about a “healthy” doctor dying two weeks after taking the COVID-19 vaccine was the “most viewed content” on its platform in the first three months of 2021, the social media giant said in its transparency report.

A Facebook post about a “healthy” doctor dying two weeks after taking the COVID-19 vaccine was the “most viewed content” on its platform in the first three months of 2021, the social media giant said in its transparency report. The content reportedly attracted nearly 54 million views. This information was part of Facebook’s first-quarter content transparency report that was released on Saturday—initially believed to be shelved. The tech giant released the report after the New York Times claimed that the executives at the social media firm held back from sharing it with the public as it would “look bad for the company”. However, countering the claims, Facebook’s Policy Communications Manager Andy Stone took to Twitter to issue a clarification. We’ve been getting criticism for holding an internal report until it was more favorable for us and then releasing it. Getting criticism isn’t unfair. But it’s worth taking a closer look -- and making note of some of the components of the story. — Andy Stone (@andymstone) August 21, 2021 × “We’ve been getting criticism for holding an internal report until it was more favourable for us and then releasing it. Getting criticism isn’t unfair. But it’s worth taking a closer look — and making note of some of the components of the story.” “News outlets wrote about the south Florida doctor that died. When the coroner released a cause of death, the Chicago Tribune appended an update to its original story; NYTimes did not. Would it have been right to remove the Times story because it was COVID misinformation?” he tweeted. He said the reason the report wasn’t released earlier "because there were key fixes to the system we wanted to make.” The story was initially published by the South Florida Sun Sentinel which was later reposted by the Chicago Tribune. Also read | Facebook set to label all COVID-related posts to battle misinformation The report revealed that a doctor in Miami died two weeks after receiving the Pfizer vaccine, calling it “possibly the nation’s first death linked to the vaccine.” The story was then updated stating that the doctor died from a condition that causes internal bleeding, but a medical examiner's report couldn't rule out whether the vaccine was the key factor. Facebook and other social media companies have been criticised for how they handle the spread of misinformation on their platforms. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook’s most viewed article was on COVID vaccine death, says firm amid reports of withholding info

Police have arrested a doctor in western India for allegedly injecting six people with a lethal overdose and burying most of the bodies at his farmhouse, an officer said Tuesday. 
 
Santosh Pol, dubbed &quot;Doctor Death&quot; by local media, was arrested in a town in Maharashtra state last week during a police investigation into the disappearance of one of his victims. 
 
&quot;Pol has confessed to killing around six people, including five women and one man. We have recovered four bodies from his farmhouse and one from (outside) his (town) residence,&quot; police inspector Padmakar Ghanvat told AFP.&nbsp;&quot;He has been constantly changing his statements during interrogations, which makes it difficult for us to understand his motives,&quot; Ghanvat said. 
 
All of the alleged victims went missing in the picturesque town of Wai, 230 kilometres (143 miles) south of Mumbai, in recent years. But little is known of their connection to the doctor.&nbsp;Television footage showed police leading Pol around his farm, while other officers operated mechanical diggers as curious villagers watched. 
 
Police have also taken Pol&#39;s nurse into custody on suspicion of helping him carry out some of the killings, officers have been quoted by local media as saying.&nbsp;Pol allegedly killed his latest victim with a lethal overdose of an unknown drug after she threatened to expose his previous murders, according to the reports. 
 
Last year police arrested an Indian doctor accused of trying to set a patient&#39;s body on fire after he died during treatment.&nbsp;Earlier this month Indian police arrested the head of an upmarket hospital in Mumbai and four doctors on suspicion of organ trafficking. 
 
(AFP)

Santosh Pol, dubbed 'Doctor Death', was arrested in Maharashtra last week as police investigated the disappearance of one of his victims

Police have arrested a doctor in western India for allegedly injecting six people with a lethal overdose and burying most of the bodies at his farmhouse, an officer said Tuesday. Santosh Pol, dubbed "Doctor Death" by local media, was arrested in a town in Maharashtra state last week during a police investigation into the disappearance of one of his victims. "Pol has confessed to killing around six people, including five women and one man. We have recovered four bodies from his farmhouse and one from (outside) his (town) residence," police inspector Padmakar Ghanvat told AFP. "He has been constantly changing his statements during interrogations, which makes it difficult for us to understand his motives," Ghanvat said. All of the alleged victims went missing in the picturesque town of Wai, 230 kilometres (143 miles) south of Mumbai, in recent years. But little is known of their connection to the doctor. Television footage showed police leading Pol around his farm, while other officers operated mechanical diggers as curious villagers watched. Police have also taken Pol's nurse into custody on suspicion of helping him carry out some of the killings, officers have been quoted by local media as saying. Pol allegedly killed his latest victim with a lethal overdose of an unknown drug after she threatened to expose his previous murders, according to the reports. Last year police arrested an Indian doctor accused of trying to set a patient's body on fire after he died during treatment. Earlier this month Indian police arrested the head of an upmarket hospital in Mumbai and four doctors on suspicion of organ trafficking. (AFP)

Indian doctor arrested for killing 6 people, burying bodies at his farmhouse

doctor-death

Doctor Death, News on Doctor Death, stories on Doctor Death, articles on Doctor Death, Doctor Death stories at Wion, Doctor Death news, Doctor Death latest news

doctor death

Who is ‘Doctor Death’, accused of killing patients with lethal injections in Germany? Trial begins for murders

Delhi hospital horror: Doctor shot dead by 2 teenagers who entered hospital under pretext of injury

Facebook’s most viewed article was on COVID vaccine death, says firm amid reports of withholding info

Indian doctor arrested for killing 6 people, burying bodies at his farmhouse