German doctor on trial for allegedly murdering 15 patients in his care

Prosecutors accuse the defendant of setting fire to many victims' homes to cover up his crimes

Hearings have begun in the Berlin trial of a German palliative doctor accused of murdering 15 patients in his care using a deadly cocktail of sedatives and setting fire to many of their homes to cover up his crimes.

Prosecutors have charged the 40-year-old defendant with 15 counts of murder with premeditated malice and other base motives", and are seeking a life sentence, which in Germany usually amounts to 15 years in prison.