Thu Dec 18 16:43:50 UTC 2025: Summary:
A French anesthesiologist, Frederic Pechier, has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of poisoning 30 patients, resulting in the deaths of 12, between 2008 and 2017. Prosecutors accused him of deliberately targeting patients of colleagues he saw as rivals in order to discredit them and boost his own image by intervening to “save” the poisoned patients. Pechier denied the accusations, but the court found him guilty. He plans to appeal the verdict.
News Article:
French Anesthesiologist Sentenced to Life for Poisoning Patients, Killing 12
Besancon, France – Frederic Pechier, a 53-year-old anesthesiologist, has been sentenced to life in prison by the Doubs Assize Court after being convicted of poisoning 30 patients, resulting in the deaths of 12, between 2008 and 2017. Prosecutors described Pechier as “one of the greatest criminals in history,” arguing he deliberately targeted patients of colleagues he saw as rivals at two private clinics in Besancon.
The prosecution presented evidence demonstrating Pechier’s intent to discredit colleagues and “feed his thirst for power.” They stated that he would poison patients and then intervene to resuscitate them, not to save their lives, but to appear as the “doctor everyone admired” while sabotaging his rivals.
The victims ranged in age from four to 89. The trial, which lasted three months and included extensive medical testimony and emotional statements from victims’ families, concluded with the guilty verdict on Thursday.
Pechier, given the opportunity to speak, maintained his innocence, stating, “I am not a poisoner.”
His lawyers have announced their intention to appeal the verdict. Pechier has 10 days to file the appeal under French law.
First Piper 