- Stepfather Killed - Homeless Man in Court
Five months after the killing of a 63-year-old in Wuppertal, his stepson is now sitting in the dock of the local district court. The prosecution accuses the 39-year-old of strangling his stepfather with a bathrobe belt and stabbing him in the back with a 20-centimeter-long knife. Whether the man died from strangulation or the stab wound remains unclear.
The homeless defendant claimed at the trial's opening that he had no memory of the event. His memory had supposedly lapsed in the afternoon and only returned when the police confronted him at night with their weapons drawn. After the crime, the defendant had a blood alcohol level of three promille, while his stepfather had five promille.
The German defendant insisted that he hadn't drunk that much and that he generally got along well with his stepfather. However, the prosecutor stated that witnesses had reported severe arguments between the two. The 63-year-old's wife discovered the body and called the police. Her son was arrested at the scene.
His father-in-law was completely drunk on the couch when he visited his mother that day, the 39-year-old claimed. He himself had only drunk five or six beers.
According to the records, he was found with blood on his hands and said to his mother, "Now you have your peace from him," as the judge noted. When asked if he thought his mother might have killed her husband if he hadn't, the 39-year-old said he couldn't imagine that. The trial continues.
The defendant's lawyers have requested assistance from the [The Office of the Prosecutor] to review potential evidence of mental health issues that could influence his state of mind during the alleged crime. The prosecutor is currently reviewing this request to determine if it warrants further investigation.
