A court in Besançon, Doubs, France, sentenced 53-year-old former anesthesiologist Frédéric Pechier to life imprisonment for murder by secretly poisoning saline bags to induce cardiac arrest emergencies in 30 patients, resulting in 12 deaths. The incidents occurred between 2008 and 2017.
The court found Pechier guilty of secretly adding poisons to saline or intravenous fluid bags for patients awaiting surgery. The substances he used included potassium, local anesthetics, adrenaline, and heparin. His intent was to deliberately cause cardiac arrest or uncontrollable bleeding while other doctors were attending the patients, so he could intervene in resuscitation efforts and demonstrate superior skills or present himself as an expert in managing critical situations.
The prosecuting attorney described Pechier as "one of the worst criminals in history," using his medical knowledge as a tool to kill. Christine de Gouraize, the prosecutor, told the court, "You have tried to play the victim, but you are unworthy of being a doctor. You are a deadly physician."
Pechier, who had been out on bail during the trial, was taken into custody immediately after the verdict. However, he retains the legal right to request temporary release in the future through his lawyer.
His personal lawyer, Randal Schwerdorfer, who insists his client is a "scapegoat" destroyed by the medical community, announced plans to appeal the case to the next court level and intends to recruit top national lawyers to join the defense team.
This case is one of the most shocking medical serial murder cases in France in decades, due to the high number of victims and the fact that the perpetrator was a highly skilled doctor.