Mannheim - "My client is guilty" - imprisonment for murder of sons
A mother has been sentenced to 13 years in prison by the Mannheim Regional Court for the dastardly murder of her two children. The woman had first sedated her seven and nine-year-old sons with medication in Hockenheim near Heidelberg on Holy Saturday and then suffocated them.
According to the presiding judge, the sentence was mitigated by the fact that the 44-year-old defendant was of considerably reduced culpability at the time of the crime. She had remained silent throughout the trial and followed the verdict motionlessly.
Mother had a personality disorder
All of this was preceded in 2018 by the separation from the children's father, to whom the German woman was married, as the judge said. This was followed by a custody dispute, which in 2020 resulted in the father being awarded the right of residence. From then on, the two sons lived with him and spent weekends and school vacations with their mother - including around Easter.
The woman had seen her children's existence endangered by the father and had called in the youth welfare office several times. However, the authorities found no abnormalities. According to a psychiatric report, the reason for the pathological delusion was a personality disorder that the accused suffered as a result of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 26.
Finally, she anaesthetized the boys on Holy Saturday, suffocated them and then inflicted injuries to their heads, according to the reasons for the verdict. This was done against the background that the accused wanted to commit suicide herself and did not want to leave her sons alone with her ex-husband, whom she considered to be violent.
Expert witness: woman was terminally ill
The question of culpability had previously been answered by a psychiatric expert: The defendant's brain haemorrhage had caused her to develop epilepsy as well as an organic personality disorder, he explained. As a result, the woman had changed emotionally. As a result, the expert diagnosed her with abnormal mental development. Her life had become increasingly depressive and she herself had become increasingly desperate.
The expert explained that, on the one hand, her ability to understand had not been impaired. At the same time, the personality disorder had had a massive impact on her ability to exercise control: although the accused had known that the killing was wrong, she had only been able to act in accordance with this morality to a lesser extent. The expert did not believe that the requirements for placement in a psychiatric hospital were met. The illness could be controlled with medication, but not cured.
Far-reaching consequences for social environment
The public prosecutor had accused the defendant of murder and demanded a prison sentence of 14 years and six months. In the opinion of the public prosecutor, the personality disorder and the resulting delusion, among other things, had a mitigating effect. Nonetheless, she had committed a criminal offense and killed her helpless and defenseless sons.
The joint plaintiff's representative, who appeared on behalf of the ex-husband and his daughter, agreed with the prosecution. He reported on the far-reaching consequences of the crime: for example, there had been crisis meetings at school and the father was undergoing trauma therapy.
"My client is guilty," the defense lawyer admitted in his plea. She had finally informed the authorities independently by email on Easter Sunday that she had done something "bad". The lawyer demanded a maximum sentence of twelve years imprisonment, taking into account the mitigating factors. He also requested placement in a psychiatric hospital.
The court did not agree. The prison sentence of the defendant, who was previously in custody, will be continued. She now has the opportunity to lodge an appeal within one week.
Notification of the trial Follow-up notification Police notification at the time
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- The crime occurred in Baden-Württemberg, specifically in Mannheim.
- During the court process, the defendant remained silent throughout and showed no emotion upon hearing the verdict.
- The children's father lived in Heidelberg, and the boys often spent time with their mother in Mannheim during weekends and school vacations.
- The mother had a long-standing custody dispute with the children's father, which resulted in him being awarded custody in 2020.
- The woman's personality disorder, which stems from a brain haemorrhage she suffered at age 26, was a contributing factor to her delusional beliefs and emotional instability.
- The court heard evidence of expert witnesses, including a psychiatrist who testified about the woman's condition and her reduced culpability due to her brain haemorrhage and personality disorder.
- The defendant was accused of murder, and the public prosecutor sought a prison sentence, acknowledging the mitigating factors of her mental health issues.
- The ex-husband's representative also agreed with the prosecution, highlighting the far-reaching consequences of the crime on the children, their father, and the wider community, including the children's school and the father's trauma therapy.
Source: www.stern.de
