Rare and Severe Penalty Imposed for Adolescent's Crimes of Killing Mother and Brother
In Magdeburg, a 18-year-old was brought before the court for the brutal murder of his mother and one of his siblings in the dead of night. His three other siblings were also targeted in a failed attempt at their lives. The court, recognizing the extreme nature of the crimes, handed down a juvenile sentence exceeding the usual ten-year maximum, totaling two and a half years in prison.
The trial, conducted in private due to the delicate nature of the case, saw the Regional Court impose a harsher sentence than stipulated by the Juvenile Court Act. The law allows for a maximum of ten years in such cases, but given the heinous nature of the crime - murder - the penalty range can stretch up to fifteen years.
According to the prosecution, the incident occurred in March, with the 18-year-old using a kitchen knife to take the lives of his mother and brother. The accused was also accused of attempting to harm his three other siblings who were in the same apartment, attacking them while they were asleep.
The motive, as reported, was the accused's growing sense of resentment towards the lack of personal space in the shared living quarters.
The accused has remained in custody since the incident and the specifics of the verdict, particularly considering the young age and trauma of one of the victims, were kept private from the public.
The charges against the 18-year-old included not just murder, but also the attempted manslaughter of his other siblings. Despite the Juvenile Court Act limiting the sentence to ten years, the court acknowledged the seriousness of the murder and manslaughter charges, leading to a harsher sentence.
