Medical Director Acquitted of Negligent Homicide Despite Breach of Reporting Duty

The appellate court reviewed the case of a medical director accused of negligent homicide for failing to report two unusual deaths to the authorities six weeks before a nurse killed an eighth resident at the facility. While the court found the director breached his duty under cantonal health law by not immediately reporting the suspicious deaths to the district physician and prosecutor, it ultimately acquitted him of negligent homicide because this breach of duty lacked the necessary hypothetical causality to the final victim's death; evidence showed that even if reported earlier, the police investigation would not have escalated quickly enough to prevent the subsequent homicide, as authorities were already aware of suspicions but delayed crucial investigative steps until after the final murder occurred. Consequently, the director was acquitted of all charges, and civil claims were dismissed.