- Charges after murder of Berlin cosmetologist
The businessman is alleged to have killed the well-known Berlin cosmetologist because he himself had financial problems. The prosecution sees sufficient evidence for this and, more than three years after the woman's death, has brought charges of robbery resulting in death and murder for financial gain against a 54-year-old, as a spokesperson announced.
The man has been in custody for around four months. According to the prosecution, he denies the crime. The German was arrested at his business address on April 2. The investigators traced him through DNA traces found in the victim's apartment. The strong suspicion of guilt is based on this, among other things, it was said. The investigators suspect financial difficulties of the man as a motive.
Lengthy investigations with public appeal
The investigations in the case made little progress for a long time. In 2022, the murder case was the topic of the ZDF show "Aktenzeichen XY...unsolved". In 2023, the police went public again with an appeal for information, and the prosecution offered a reward of up to 5,000 euros for useful tips.
In the meantime, the investigators are confident that they have enough evidence for a trial at the Berlin Regional Court. According to the indictment, the businessman is said to have severely injured the 50-year-old in her apartment on Kurfürstendamm in Charlottenburg on the evening of March 31, 2021, by striking her several times on the head with a stone. Then he is said to have strangled her, causing her to suffocate.
Indictment: Day's earnings and saved money stolen
Afterwards, the 54-year-old is said to have stolen cash - "possibly around 200,000 euros that the victim had saved for the purchase of a property in France," said the prosecution. The investigators also suspect the cosmetologist's daily earnings of around 2,300 euros to be among the loot, along with the victim's phone. With the woman's key, he is said to have left the apartment and locked it behind him.
The cosmetologist, who, according to media reports, had numerous prominent clients, was found dead with fatal injuries to her head and upper body in her apartment on April 1, 2021. She operated a cosmetics studio near the Walter-Benjamin-Platz, from where she had walked to her apartment the day before. Concerned colleagues alerted the fire department when the 50-year-old did not come to work.
The criminal case against the businessman for the murder of the cosmetologist has escalated into a more serious charge of robbery resulting in death due to the alleged theft of her savings and daily earnings. Despite being in custody, he continues to deny the crime and its motive, which allegedly stems from his financial difficulties.
