Statement - Pensioner accused of murdering woman: money worries as motive
A pensioner on trial at Mönchengladbach District Court for the murder of his wife testified in court on Thursday about massive financial problems. Without his wife's knowledge, he had run up debts that threatened the existence of their son. He was desperate and saw no other way out to spare the 73-year-old woman an old age in poverty. The woman was killed in her sleep at the end of May by blows to the head with a heavy hammer.
He could not remember the crime itself, said the pensioner. "After the crime, when I was sitting on the bed and came to my senses, I realized it must have been me". His defense lawyer confirmed that the accusation was correct. The 75-year-old had called the police himself after the crime.
The accused said that his chronically ill and professionally unsuccessful son lived in Portugal and constantly needed help. He had transferred almost 2000 euros to him every month. That was two thirds of his pension. According to him, the crime was triggered by a rent increase announced by the landlord and a necessary repair to the car.
When asked by the public prosecutor why he had killed his wife instead of telling his son that it was no longer possible, the accused did not find an answer. A bank advisor stated that the couple's debts amounted to 32,000 euros at the time of the crime. Even at that age and with a monthly pension of 3,000 euros, that was manageable.
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Source: www.stern.de
