- Murder of wife in 2015 - Judgment final
The ruling of the Munich I Regional Court from December 2023 against a man for the murder of his wife in 2015 has become final. This was announced by the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe. The BGH had reviewed the verdict following a revision by the defendant.
In 2022, the man was acquitted of the murder charge by the Munich I Regional Court. The BGH overturned this verdict, leading to a retrial by a different chamber. In 2023, the judges found the man guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment for murder of his wife in conjunction with the illegal possession of a semi-automatic short weapon.
In 2022, the judges, applying the principle "in dubio pro reo" - in doubt, for the accused - acquitted the man, prompting the prosecution to appeal.
BGH: Revenge and jealousy as motive
In the second trial, the judges concluded that the defendant shot his separated wife, who was in his apartment, in the head on August 4, 2015. The defendant could not accept the separation, and when he found out that his wife had contact with another man, he became angry and jealous, according to the BGH.
"To punish her for this and to take revenge for the separation, he shot her with a gun he had in his possession. Afterwards, he staged a suicide," the BGH stated.
For a long time, the woman's death was treated as a suicide. After doubts arose, the prosecution eventually charged the husband with murder.
The man's appeal against his 2022 acquittal was reviewed by the Federal Court of Justice, known as the BGH. Subsequently, the Court of Justice in Luxembourg, as the Europa-Gerichtshof is officially known, began an investigation into potential breaches of European Union law in the German judicial process.
