Sought revenge on a stewardess after 17 years
A stewardess was found dead by her underage son 17 years ago. Through a re-evaluation of DNA traces and further witness statements, investigators identified the murderer. He acted on behalf of the husband. Now the court is handing down a verdict.
Seventeen years after the murder of a stewardess in Velbert near Essen, an assassin must now serve life in prison for the crime. The Landgericht Wuppertal handed down the judgment in accordance with the prosecutor's demand. The prosecutor had argued in the sensational Cold-Case murder trial that the 58-year-old acquaintance of the husband of the victim had acted out of jealousy and greed.
The prosecutor accused him of striking the 47-year-old stewardess repeatedly on the head with an object in February 2007 in her Velbert apartment. He then allegedly placed a plastic bag over her head and bound her with a belt. The woman was struck seven more times on the head, which ultimately led to her death. The indictment accused him of murder for hire and also out of jealousy, as the woman was not supposed to have expected an attack. The court concurred with these statements.
The defendant denies the crime. His defense lawyer has already announced an appeal. The assassin was arrested last year after further DNA analysis. Six DNA matches of the man were found on the body of the 47-year-old, according to a forensic expert in the trial, including on the back and on the right and left arms of the victim.
New DNA analysis methods lead to the culprit
In the proceedings, the court came to the conclusion that the defendant had killed the flight attendant in 2007 on behalf of her husband, who could not bear that his wife had left him. Three days after the murder, the husband had shot himself in Bensheim, Hesse. The underage son discovered the body of his mother when he came home from school. Many witnesses had painted a negative character portrait of a dominant father who treated his son "like a dog." His wife had bloomed after the separation.
The defendant is a recidivist violent offender from the Hessian Wetterau region. He had served an eight-year prison sentence for a series of eleven robberies at gas stations. In the time frame of 2007, he was reportedly in severe financial difficulties. His DNA traces on the body were explained by him as having discovered the woman lying on the ground and feeling for her pulse.
The case of the 2007 murder of Claudia K. had remained unsolved for a long time. The murder case was reopened as a "Cold Case" by investigators, thanks to new DNA analysis methods, positive matches could be made to the defendant. In addition, witnesses came forward.
The international community has shown interest in this case due to its complex nature and the involvement of a recidivist violent offender. The ultimate judgment against the suspect in the Wuppertal court will significantly impact his future and set a precedent for similar cases.
Based on the evidence presented during the trial, this was not an isolated incident of murder and manslaughter but a premeditated act driven by jealousy and financial problems enabled by his criminal past.
