Alternative practitioner on trial in Flensburg for murdering his wife: A man is found guilty.
The court found the 54-year-old defendant guilty of a treacherous act motivated by greed. His crime stemmed from previous accusations of sexual abuse by a patient. Fearing abandonment by his wife and financial ruin, he committed this heinous act.
The judge deemed the severity of the crime severe enough to almost guarantee no release for the minimum sentence of 15 years. The verdict mirrored the prosecution's initial demand for a two-year probation sentence for murder on request.
During the trial, the defendant claimed that his wife wanted to commit suicide and willingly took the lethal medication with his help. However, the court dismisses this account as "not believable." In reality, his wife did not want to die.
A note found after the crime believed to be a suicide note was actually written by the defendant himself. The court concludes that this was part of his plan to make the murder seem like a suicide attempt.
Injuring himself with a knife before poisoning his wife and the knife wounds in her abdomen were also discovered. Before the crime, the defendant reportedly isolated his wife from friends and spent her fortune.
The daughter of the victim, who served as a co-defendant, received 10,000 euros in compensation for her grief. The trial had commenced in March of the previous year and was known for its many legal twists. The defendant was initially released, only to be re-arrested later.
The unlicensed healer likewise faced charges of alleged sexual assaults on patients. However, these proceedings were discontinued in April on the prosecutor's request. The reason given was that a separate conviction for these offenses, along with the expected sentence for murder, wouldn't carry much weight. Yet, it would've required a massive evidence collection.
