Father of the dead boys does not apologize
In February, the Federal Court of Justice overturns a judgment against two 41-year-olds. The two are accused of organizing an illegal car race, resulting in the deaths of two children. The case returns to the District Court: Emotions run high. As a video is shown, the courtroom falls silent.
Tears flow in the courtroom. "I'm sorry, I didn't want this," says the 41-year-old defendant with a choked voice in the District Court of Hanover. And another woman looks to the floor and cries - before the renewed murder trial for a prohibited car race with two dead children: the mother of the two and six-year-old boys.
The 39-year-old father is also emotional, unwilling to apologize, only justice: "That doesn't bring the children back to life," he says angrily. His life is not made better by it, and his wife "suffers every day."
Then the lawyer for the 41-year-old reads a statement: "I can't go a day without thinking about the two children," the Pole, who is also a mother and a grandmother, reportedly says. She acknowledges that she will be judged for her actions - she cannot undo the event.
Driving at 180 kilometers per hour in the 70-zone
It's unbearable to think about the dead children; she had "suicidal thoughts." But as a mother, the death of the two boys could not be indifferent to her. Her co-defendant also apologizes: "I bear co-responsibility for the deaths of the two children."
What happened? The District Court determined in April of the previous year that the two today 41-year-olds had engaged in an illegal car race near Barsinghausen, near Hanover. They reportedly raced with their PS-powered cars at up to 180 kilometers per hour, which is not allowed there.
In a curve, the woman loses control, causing a collision with oncoming cars. The family's car is flung onto a hitching post, and the children on the back seat die.
The Federal Court of Justice overturns the first judgment
The judgment of the District Court read as follows: The woman was sentenced to six years in prison, her racing partner to four years - both for an unlawful vehicle race resulting in death. They were charged with murder and accessory to murder.
In February, the Federal Court of Justice overturned this judgment. Neither the defendants nor the prosecution were satisfied with the decision. The prosecution is seeking to convict the woman of murder. Since the judges of the Federal Court of Justice saw legal errors in the first judgment, the case must now be retried at the District Court.
The presiding judge, Britta Schlingmann, stated that in the first judgment, the personalities of the defendants were not taken into account according to the Federal Court of Justice - risky driving style and lack of empathy were attributed to them before the accident, Judge Britta Schlingmann explained. Now, convictions for murder, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, and an unlawful vehicle race resulting in death are being considered. Potential murder motives could be jealousy and low motives.
The 41-year-old allows her lawyer to explain that she made a wrong decision - namely, giving gas instead of braking. She was "shocked" about the oncoming traffic, but meant to keep the car under control. She did not act out of egoism, but to avoid danger, the lawyer reads out. The co-defendant of the same age, according to his lawyer's statement, admits to having provoked a race. He had not wanted to admit this at first.
"Perhaps it helps to hear from me that the court came to the right verdict," says the 41-year-old, looking at the first verdict and at the disappointing parents. She renews her offer of financial assistance and offers 30,000 Euro - knowing that money cannot bring the children back and hoping that her offer will not be perceived as shameless. The father of the two boys, a taxi driver, rejects the offer: "I only want justice."
And then it gets completely quiet in the courtroom, a sense of unease is almost tangible: There is a clip of the accident from a dashboard camera in a car behind the family's car - this video is shown.
Suddenly and rapidly, the car of the 41-year-old appears from nowhere in a curve. In the blink of an eye, the accident occurs, and the family's car is thrown off the road. Everyone in the room becomes clear in this moment how much their own fate hangs in the balance in traffic.
- The initial verdict against the two defendants in the Traffic accidents case, involving the deaths of two children due to an Illegal races, was overturned by the Federal Court of Justice in Hanover.
- During the renewed murder trial, the 41-year-old defendant expressed remorse and apologized for her role in the incident, stating, "I can't go a day without thinking about the two children."
- International attention was drawn to the case when it was revealed that the defendants were racing their high-powered cars at over 180 kilometers per hour in a 70-zone, causing the tragic accident.
- The protest against such dangerous activities gained momentum, leading to calls for stricter laws and penalties for Illegal races, aiming to prevent similar Traffic accidents in the future.
