Justice - Shisha bar murder trial: innocence protested
In the courtroom, video footage of a horrific crime in a Hamburg shisha bar is shown in slow motion. Two dark-clad, masked figures are seen approaching a group sitting on a sofa. One of the masked men raises a pistol and pulls the trigger. The victim is so seriously injured in this crime in July 2022, which was recorded by a surveillance camera, that the 27-year-old dies in hospital. It is still unclear who fired the shots. But the public prosecutor's office is certain that they know the companion. The 25-year-old has been on trial for murder at the district court since Thursday.
It is already the second time, as the trial is being reopened. The trial had actually started at the beginning of September. However, a juror fell ill for a long time during the trial and her place was filled. The chamber therefore had to start from the beginning. The chamber has scheduled a total of 20 hearings until next February. The defendant is also accused of possessing several firearms - including a submachine gun - without a permit and temporarily keeping them in a friend's apartment.
The public prosecutor read out the indictment again on the first day of the trial. It accuses the German of accompanying the perpetrator, who shot a man sitting in a shisha bar in the Hohenfelde district late in the evening last summer several times, hitting him in the heart and head. The 25-year-old had secured the crime and thus acted together to kill a person in a treacherous manner. The murder is said to have been ordered by a third man, whose name is mentioned in the indictment, in connection with drug deals. This suspect will be prosecuted separately.
At the beginning of the trial, the defense lawyer read out a statement in which her client again proclaimed his innocence in this case. He had not been in the bar that evening. "I had nothing to do with the crime," said the defendant, who is engaged, according to his own statement. According to the public prosecutor, he is said to have confessed the crime to an ex-girlfriend. However, the 25-year-old, who is in custody, denied this in his statement to the court.
The slim, well-dressed defendant with round glasses and a side parting described the day of the crime from his point of view. This July 27 was actually like any other day for him. He had sold drugs. In the evening he smoked several joints and fell asleep in his parents' apartment.
The 25-year-old had made several appearances in the past for violating the Narcotics Act. As recently as July of this year, he was sentenced to five years and three months. Referring to these offenses, the defendant admitted: "I am not an innocent man."
A bulletproof vest discovered in a bush near the scene of the crime played an important role for the prosecution. According to the prosecution, the defendant's DNA was found on it. He had been given this vest temporarily because of a dispute with another group over drug deals, but at the time of the crime he had already passed it on to an acquaintance, the 25-year-old explained in his statement.
The trial is to continue on Tuesday with questioning of the accused.
Police statement from July 2022
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- The video recording from the surveillance camera in the shisha bar in Hamburg, where the murder took place in July 2022, is carefully analyzed in the courtroom during the trial.
- The public prosecutor's office in Hamburg is prosecuting a 25-year-old for his alleged role in the murder, which is linked to drug deals, and they believe they have strong evidence, including a bulletproof vest with the defendant's DNA.
- The defense attorney for the accused insists on his client's innocence, arguing that he was not present at the shisha bar on the night of the crime and denying any confession to an ex-girlfriend about his involvement.
- The trial for the murder in Hamburg's Hohenfelde district, which has been ongoing for two periods due to a juror's illness, is expected to last until February, as processes related to gun possession and narcotics charges are also being addressed.
Source: www.stern.de
