A French tribunal sentenced anesthesiologist Frédéric Péchier to life imprisonment, having found him guilty of murdering 12 patients and poisoning another 30, reports The Guardian.
The court determined that 53-year-old Frédéric Péchier intentionally poisoned patients during his nearly ten years working at private clinics in the city of Besançon in eastern France. The victims’ ages ranged from four to 89. The anesthesiologist was nicknamed the “Doctor Death.”
Péchier substituted or damaged packages containing paracetamol and anesthesia. As a result of his actions, 12 patients passed away; the others were successfully resuscitated. State prosecutor Christine de Courrèges stated that Péchier acted as a “serial killer” with “severe mental disorders.” In several instances, Péchier himself participated in the resuscitation of the patients he poisoned to feign accidental complications and conceal evidence of the crime.
The court also established that the doctor selected patients of colleagues with whom he had disagreements or rivalry. His actions aimed to discredit other anesthesiologists and surgeons.
Case files indicate that Péchier worked at two private clinics from 2008 to 2017. Investigators reviewed over 70 reports concerning serious adverse effects, including unexplained cardiac arrests. One of the victims was four-year-old Teddy, who suffered two cardiac arrests during a routine tonsillectomy in 2016, after which the child remained in a coma for two days.
Another affected individual was 36-year-old Sandra Simar, who experienced cardiac arrest during spinal surgery in 2017. She was in a coma for several days but survived. The woman informed the court that the consequences of the event would remain with her forever. Péchier himself denied guilt throughout the proceedings and claimed he poisoned no one; however, the court sentenced him to life imprisonment, allowing ten days for an appeal.
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Previously, a nurse in Germany received a life sentence for ten murders and 27 attempted murders of patients. The offenses occurred between December 2023 and May 2024 at a clinic in Würselen, near Aachen. According to the prosecution, the convict administered potent medications to patients without authorization—ostensibly to reduce workload during night shifts. The defense insisted on acquittal, and the defendant rejected all accusations.
The investigation does not rule out that the convict might have committed more similar offenses. Other suspicious cases from his prior practice are currently being examined.
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