- The individual met their demise after being viciously stabbed in public.
Around two and a half years following a lethal alcohol binge in Hamburg-Lohbrügge, a district court has condemned a defendant to ten years behind bars. The 42-year-old individual accepted in court to impaling his acquaintance with a knife while the latter was slumbering on a couch on March 23, 2022. The 43-year-old casualty breathed his last in the defendant's apartment.
Overturned acquittal on appeal
Initially, another jury at the district court had exonerated the defendant of homicide charges. The jury couldn't conclusively pinpoint the perpetrator of the victim's death. Both the defendant and his girlfriend were under scrutiny. However, the defendant was slapped with a one-year prison sentence for different misdemeanors and was ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment. Later, Germany's highest court overturned the acquittal but maintained the rest of the verdict.
Toxic interpersonal dynamics
Presiding Judge Jessica Koerner elaborated on the crime's background on Tuesday. The defendant and the subsequent victim were both heavy drinkers. The defendant would frequently indulge in sexual activities with the victim's partner, but he didn't take kindly to the victim having similar liaisons with his girlfriend. The victim tolerated this behavior due to the defendant's regular alcohol supplies. Koerner labeled the relationship dynamics as "toxic."
Drinking spree began at 7:00 AM
On the day of the crime, the victim dropped by for drinks around 7:00 AM. The two males consumed a substantial amount of alcohol while the girlfriend remained sober. In the afternoon, they also invited the victim's partner, who joined in the drinking spree. When the victim and his partner dozed off on the couch, the defendant plunged a knife into the victim's chest. The 43-year-old bled to death. The motive behind the crime remains unclear, but it's speculated that the defendant might have been upset over the victim's advances towards his girlfriend.
Initially, the 42-year-old defendant implicated an unnamed fifth individual for the crime. He had instructed his girlfriend to corroborate this fabricated account with the police. Koerner deemed this defense as "unbelievable and unmatched in its idiocy."
Further investigations prompt confessional
Post the acquittal in the first trial, the police persisted with their probe and monitored the communications of those involved. Eventually, the girlfriend confessed to her lies. The defendant then confessed to the crime, as Koerner stated.
The court has now sentenced him to nine years in jail for premeditated manslaughter. Combined with his pending convictions for different offenses, this amounts to a total sentence of ten years.
"A time bomb waiting to explode"
The court also confirmed the commitment to a secure psychiatric institution. "The defendant is sitting there quite rightly," said Koerner. He is an alcoholic, but his addiction is untreatable. He also has a below-average intelligence and a penchant for weapons. Under the influence of alcohol, he acts impulsively. He poses a threat to the general public. "The defendant is a time bomb waiting to explode," said the judge. The murder verdict is not yet final.
The defendant's case was appealed at the Court of First Instance, seeking to overturn the initial acquittal.
After the defendant's confession, further investigations revealed that the initial jury at the Court of First Instance may have wrongfully exonerated him due to falsified information presented in the first trail.
