57-year-old man convicted of killing father
In the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, a man strangled his 88-year-old father and nearly decapitated him. According to a report, the victim did not suffer "pain far beyond what is necessary for killing." The perpetrator must now serve time in prison.
The Regional Court in Frankenthal, Rhineland-Palatinate, sentenced a 57-year-old man to four and a half years in prison for killing his father and nearly decapitating him. The court found him guilty of manslaughter in a lesser degree, as stated by a court spokesperson.
The chamber found it proven that the man killed his father at the end of December in Neustadt an der Weinstraße. First, the defendant strangled the 88-year-old, who was lying in bed. While the victim was still alive, the 57-year-old nearly completely severed his head with a kitchen knife, according to the verdict. The 88-year-old died from suffocation and blood loss.
Initially, the son was charged with murder out of cruelty, as the prosecution assumed that the father suffered severe pain during the act. However, an expert report concluded that he did not suffer pain far beyond what is necessary for killing. Therefore, the chamber did not consider the act as murder, but as manslaughter.
The chamber's verdict fell below the prosecution's demand, which had initially called for six years and two months imprisonment for manslaughter in a lesser degree. The defense pleaded for four years and two months imprisonment for the same charge. Both parties waived their right to appeal, making the verdict final.
The defense argued that the 57-year-old should be sentenced to four years and two months in prison for the lesser degree of manslaughter. The Commission, responsible for upholding justice in Rhineland-Palatinate, agreed with the defense's suggestion, as it aligned with the evidence presented during the trial.
