Justice - Bludgeoned to death in a bathtub: perpetrator duo convicted of murder
Almost ten months after the violent death of a 56-year-old man in the Eifel village of Hersdorf, two men have been convicted of murder at Trier District Court. The 21-year-old received a juvenile sentence of 13 years, the 27-year-old a life sentence. The court also found that both men were particularly guilty.
The Serbs had beaten the man to death in his bathtub in his home in mid-January in a treacherous manner and out of greed, said presiding judge Günther Köhler on Tuesday. He spoke of a "particularly brutal act": the duo had struck the back of the man's head twelve times with a wheel nut wrench. He was completely helpless and defenceless.
He had been kneeling naked in the bathtub in the water at the time and had been expecting sex. He had picked up the two men at their home in Remscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia, earlier that day after initiating sexual contact over the internet. However, the men had only feigned their sexual interest, said Köhler.
The aim from the beginning had been to rob the 56-year-old, said Köhler. However, the intention to kill had only arisen on the spot. They had previously had dinner together and drunk beer. Then they went upstairs to the bathroom, where the man from Eifel undressed. The accused had lit tea lights to create a romantic atmosphere. Then the crime was committed.
The men then searched the victim's house and deposited two tablets, a laptop and 300 euros in coins in the trunk of the victim's car. However, they were unable to escape and got stuck in the mud. They first fled on foot, then by cab and later by public transport back to North Rhine-Westphalia. Around ten days after the crime, they were arrested in Remscheid and have been in custody ever since.
There is no doubt that the men were the perpetrators, said Köhler. DNA traces of the perpetrators had been found on beer glasses, among other things. There was also a video recording from a bank in Gerolstein showing the men making unsuccessful attempts to withdraw money with the victim's EC card after the crime. The verdict is not yet final.
Köhler said that the 21-year-old had been using dating sites and online forums to commit romance scamming for some time. He had always targeted single, older men. Almost 1400 chats were found on his cell phone, in which the conversations always followed a set pattern.
Read also:
- The conviction for the brutal murder in Hersdorf highlighted the prevalence of criminality among certain groups of men, sparking concerns about public safety in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.
- Despite the life sentence handed down in Trier, there are concerns that the 27-year-old convict may revert to his criminal behavior in prison, given his history of greed-driven acts of violence.
- The bathtub where the murder occurred has since become a chilling reminder of the incident, serving as a grim symbol of the depravity of criminality in otherwise peaceful communities.
- The processes involved in the trial revealed that the two accused men had engaged in a sophisticated scheme, using dating sites and online forums to lure their victim, ultimately leading to their unfortunate demise.
- As the justice system continues to grapple with the complexities of criminality, particularly in cases involving sexual violence and financial exploitation, the tragic incident in Hersdorf underscores the urgent need for more effective preventative measures and harsher punishments.
Source: www.stern.de
