- Severe jail terms declared - "Hands off my mother now!"
In the end, a physician's life was taken to bring an end to years of domestic abuse: Now, two minors have been given severe sentences in a prominent case at Trier's Regional Court. The 18-year-old will serve a nine-year prison term, and the 17-year-old will serve six years, as judge Günther Köhler declared.
The 53-year-old doctor, renowned and well-regarded at his medical center in a hospital in Daun, would frequently consume "large quantities of alcohol" during his leisure time, as per the judge's statement. This resulted in verbal insults and physical attacks - in the shared dwelling in Gerolstein (part of the Vulkaneifel district), where the youths, aged 16 at the time, ended the man's life in a surprise attack at the end of 2022, Köhler clarified.
The domestic violence primarily targeted his former partner, a nurse, with whom the victim cohabited from 2011 until summer 2022. However, it also impacted her son, the 18-year-old, and to a lesser extent, his half-brother, the 17-year-old - who frequently stayed at the residence.
The co-accused, the victim's former partner, received a sentence of two years and four months in prison - for failing to intervene and arson. She was not found guilty of joint manslaughter, as claimed by the prosecutor's office, Köhler stated. "A participation in the killing could not be proved."
Following a fit of rage due to alcohol
Following the separation, the doctor continued to live in the house and would often roam around drunk at night, Köhler pointed out. On the night of the crime, another heated argument with his ex occurred. The teenagers entered the kitchen and observed the 53-year-old grab and push the woman by the arm.
Then, the now 18-year-old, who was the mastermind behind the crime, exclaimed, "Now it's time!" and spontaneously decided with his half-brother to "put a stop to any further assaults" by killing the doctor, the judge explained.
They surprised the victim on his way from the bathroom to the kitchen and attacked him from behind with a baseball bat and a large wrench. Before the first blow, the 18-year-old addressed the man, "You won't lay a hand on my mother again!" Then, on the older one's instruction, the 17-year-old fastened a cable tie around the victim's neck and strangled him to death.
The woman chose not to intervene
The 36-year-old saw the initial stages of the crime but then went to the children's room with the three small children she had with the victim. She didn't prevent the teenagers from committing the crime and didn't provide any assistance, Köhler explained. By doing so, she endorsed the doctor's death. This behavior was particularly "unforgivable" because she also deprived her three children of their father.
After the crime, the defendants collaborated to clean up the crime scene and packed the body in trash bags and a tarp. They then buried the corpse in a forest near Rockeskyll. Later, they set fire to the car that carried the body. As a result, all three were also found guilty of arson.
The court generally adhered to the public prosecutor's office's demands for the young men. However, this was not the case for the 36-year-old: The chief prosecutor, Eric Samel, had demanded seven and a half years in prison for joint manslaughter, asserting that the crime had been previously agreed upon among the three accused. After the verdict, he indicated he would consider an appeal.
All three defendants acknowledged their roles in the crime, but each offered a different account. Judge Köhler noted that the early confession from the now 17-year-old had significantly aided in solving the case. There were no doubts regarding the credibility of his statements, which also minimized his sentence. His motivation, as per Köhler, was to safeguard the co-defendant from further domestic abuse. The son of the 36-year-old also acted in an attempt to halt domestic abuse against his mother. The doctor was known to the police as the perpetrator: he had been convicted four times by the Daun Local Court for verbal and physical assaults in an intoxicated state.
The doctor was last seen at his workplace in a Daun hospital on December 30, 2022, and was missing for an extended period. In June 2023, a hiker stumbled upon parts of his remains in the woods. The suspects had been in custody since September 2023.
The prosecutor's office initially accused the victim's former partner of joint manslaughter, but their participation in the doctor's death could not be proven, leading to a lighter sentence. In other legal matters, it's crucial for all parties involved, including witnesses and bystanders, to report incidents and provide testimony to ensure justice is served.
