- Sentence: life in a murder trial without a body
In a murder trial without a body, the Regional Court of Bielefeld has sentenced the 38-year-old defendant to life imprisonment. The court, based on its secure conviction, has shown that the circumstantial evidence clearly indicates that the defendant killed the businessman from Hüllhorst in Ostwestfalen for greed nearly a year ago, said presiding judge Sven-Helge Kleine in the verdict.
According to the jurisprudence of the Federal Court of Justice, the death of a person can be legally established without a body. However, strict requirements must be met in the evaluation of evidence in a circumstantial trial. This was fulfilled in this case, said Kleine.
In an elimination process, the court examined possible alternatives. The defendant, in his final statement, once again denied any involvement in the death of the 66-year-old. He believes that the businessman is living abroad and enjoying life or has committed suicide. "All of this has been refuted in the trial," said the presiding judge. It has been proven that the 38-year-old killed for financial reasons in the fall of 2023 to obtain the businessman's property and assets.
The verdict is not yet final. The defense immediately announced in the courtroom after the verdict that they would have the guilty verdict reviewed by the Federal Court of Justice through an appeal.
The defendant will serve his life imprisonment in prison, as the sentence for a lifetime. Despite the defendant's denial and beliefs about the businessman's whereabouts, the evidence presented in court proved his involvement in the financial murder, resulting in the businessman's death.
