Following the physician's murder, the offenders received substantial juvenile penalties.
A physician was tragically killed in the Eifel region towards the year's end in 2022. The culprits behind this heinous act were the two sons of the deceased doctor's ex-partner. Consequently, both were given extended jail terms.
The trial at the Trier Regional Court was quite sensational, resulting in long youth sentences for two young individuals accused of murder. The older son was sentenced to nine years, and the younger one to six years, as per the presiding judge Günther Köhler's announcement.
The victim, a 53-year-old orthopedic surgeon, worked at a hospital in Daun, was frequently intoxicated with excessive alcohol use in his spare time, according to the judge. His alcohol abuse led to both verbal and physical abuse, mainly directed towards his ex-partner, a nurse, with whom he lived from 2011 until the summer of 2022. The abuse also targeted their son, the 18-year-old, and his half-brother, the 17-year-old, who frequently visited the shared residence.
The ex-partner, also a suspect, was handed a two-year and four-month prison term. She was convicted of failing to provide assistance and arson but was not found guilty of joint manslaughter, as alleged by the prosecution. The judge, Köhler, stated, "There was no evidence of her participation in the killing."
Under the influence of alcohol
After separating, the doctor continued to reside in the house and was frequently spotted wandering around drunk at night, stated Köhler. On the night of the crime, they had another heated argument with his former partner. The 16-year-olds, then, upon their elder brother's instigation, hatched a plan to kill the doctor out of fear of further violence.
As they waited in the kitchen, they saw the 53-year-old physically assaulting his ex-partner. The older son declared, "It's starting now!" and, alongside his younger brother, decided to "stop any further incidents."
They ambushed the doctor as he made his way from the bathroom to the kitchen and attacked him with a baseball bat and a large wrench. The older son chastised the doctor, "You won't hurt my mother again!" before landing the first blow, and his younger brother, upon the elder one's orders, tightened a cable tie around the victim's neck and strangled him.
Ex-partner's inaction
The 36-year-old witnessed the crime's early stages but then escorted her three children to the children's room. Köhler concluded that she did not prevent the two teenagers from committing the crime or offer any assistance. Her apathetic behavior was particularly appalling, as she also contributed to the children's father's disappearance.
Following the crime, the trio cleaned up the crime scene, wrapped the corpse in garbage bags, and hid it in a nearby forest. They also burned the car in which they transported the body, leading to all three convictions for arson.
The court upheld the prosecutor's demands for the young men for the most part, but not for the 36-year-old woman. Her indictment for joint manslaughter called for a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence. Yet, the presiding judge opted for a lesser sentence, sparking doubts about the fairness of the verdict, leading to the Chief Prosecutor, Eric Samel, considering an appeal.
The doctor's relationship with law enforcement was not a secret: He had been convicted on four occasions by the Daun local court for verbal and physical assaults under the influence of alcohol. His last known whereabouts were at his workplace on December 30, 2022, and he was considered missing for a lengthy period. In June 2023, a hiker discovered fragments of his remains in the woods.
The presiding judge, Günther Köhler, emphasized during the trial that the doctor's alcohol-fueled abusive behavior towards his ex-partner and children was a significant factor in the tragic events that followed. This abusive behavior also influenced the judgments made by the court in the subsequent proceedings.
Upon analyzing the evidence, Köhler concluded that the ex-partner's lack of action during the crime and her indifference towards the children's safety were also crucial elements in the handing down of her conviction.
