Processes - Death during sex date: 57-year-old man remains silent in murder trial
A 57-year-old man stands trial at the Berlin Regional Court for allegedly murdering a 42-year-old man. He is accused of administering an overdose of knockout drops to the man during a meeting in an apartment in the Wedding district and then striking him on the head. The prosecution believes that the defendant acted out of his own sexual arousal and knowingly accepted the risk of fatal consequences. The trial began on a Wednesday and the German remained silent about the charges.
According to investigations, the two men from Berlin are believed to have met on December 13, 2023, in the apartment of the 42-year-old after arranging a sexual encounter through a dating platform for homosexuals. Consumption of knockout drops - according to the prosecution, it was Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB) - is reported to have taken place. The 42-year-old is said to have died shortly thereafter from acute GHB intoxication.
After the death of his sexual partner, the 57-year-old is said to have panicked and fled the scene. A police officer testified in court that a man was noticed by a neighbor, who was sweating profusely and wearing only one shoe. Since the front door of the 42-year-old's apartment had been open for a longer period of time, a neighbor had entered the apartment. There, the 42-year-old was found lying motionless in the bedroom.
One week later, the 57-year-old was arrested and detained. However, the court lifted the detention order against him after five months of remand. A process participant commented on the sidelines that it could not be ruled out that it was "some kind of accident." In a chat, the men are said to have also discussed the consumption of knockout drops during their encounter. The trial continues on July 3.
Knockout drops refer to various types of drugs that perpetrators use to drug their victims secretly, rendering them unconscious or incapacitated. These chemicals are also consumed voluntarily in lower doses as party drugs.
- The murder trial of a 57-year-old man in the Berlin Regional Court revolves around the death of a 42-year-old man, who was allegedly murdered in the Wedding district.
- The 57-year-old is accused of administering an overdose of Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB) and striking the 42-year-old during a sexual encounter arranged through a homosexual dating platform.
- The public prosecutor's office believes the man acted out of sexual arousal, aware of the potential lethal consequences.
- After the death, the 57-year-old allegedly panicked and fled the scene, only to be arrested and detained a week later.
- The processes leading to the trial revealed the men had discussed the consumption of knockout drops during their encounter, with the 42-year-old dying from acute GHB intoxication.
- The trial continues on July 3, with questions still lingering about whether it was an accident or a deliberate crime.
