Criminal trial in Berlin - Ex-girlfriend stabbed out of rage and anger: Life sentence
Nearly nine months after a fatal stabbing attack on a 55-year-old woman in Berlin-Köpenick, her ex-boyfriend has been sentenced to life imprisonment. The Landgericht of the capital found the man guilty of murder. "Brutal, ruthless, cold-blooded, as if executing a sentence" is how the defendant described killing the woman, just because she ended the relationship with him. "Another femicide," said Judge Thomas Groß. It is alarming and shocking. The court assumes a home invasion from low motives.
The German defendant, who most recently resided in Kiel, attacked the woman in the morning of October 23rd last year in front of her house - "with a terrifying, huge knife," according to the verdict. When she stepped out of her house around 7:00 am and carelessly went on her way to work, he approached her, knocked her down, cut her throat "and then calmly kept stabbing her." He acted "out of rage and anger." It was a "thoroughly planned crime." The defendant decided "that someone who turns away from me has no right to live." According to investigations, there were 27 stabs. The woman died at the scene.
He first approached her, then came the deed
A professional driver and an employee of a housing company had met in early 2023 in Kiel. During this encounter, he lied to her "about his professional and private situation," said Groß. Thus, the married man presented himself as single. The woman gradually discovered "that something was not right," and eventually separated from him in September. The 55-year-old woman was described as a "woman with clear words." After about a month of unsuccessful attempts to change her mind through harassment, the crime occurred.
The father of four was arrested on the day of the crime in Schleswig-Holstein and has been in investigative detention since then. Towards the end of the nearly three-month-long trial, he confessed and spoke of provocations and injuries. The defense argued for a verdict of manslaughter.
Femicide refers to the killing of women due to their gender - in other words, because they are women. The most common form is the murder of women by partners or ex-partners. The prosecutor had demanded a life sentence for murder. In addition, she requested the determination of aggravated circumstances - early release after 15 years would be almost impossible in such a case. However, the judges rejected this request because the man had confessed and was not previously convicted. The judgment is not yet legally binding.
- Despite ending their relationship in September, the man from Berlin-Köpenick held a deep resentment towards his ex-girlfriend, leading to the tragic stabbing incident.
- During the murder trial in Kiel, the court recognized the defendant's actions as a case of femicide, citing the victim's gender as a primary motive for the crime.
- The defendant's time in Schleswig-Holstein was marked by his attempt to rekindle the relationship with his girlfriend, which ended in failure and ultimately led to the murder trial.
- The judge in the murder trial highlighted the defendant's manipulative behavior towards his girlfriend, using false information about his professional and personal life to establish a relationship.
- In the context of the Berlin-Köpenick murder trial, the term 'aggravated circumstances' refers to the defendant's previous lack of convictions and eventual confession, which influenced the court's decision-making during the sentencing process.
