Assigned doctor - The judge finds the defendant guilty
In the trial for the murder of a doctor from the Eifel, a psychiatric expert deemed the three defendants fit to stand trial. There were no indications of any mental illness or disorder in any of them, said expert witness Wolfgang Retz at the Trier Regional Court on Wednesday. However, there was no objective evidence to suggest that the 17 and 18-year-old defendants were under the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time of the crime.
Both defendants had admitted to consuming large amounts of alcohol and drugs before the incident. The 18-year-old had mentioned consuming vodka, speed, cocaine, and amphetamines. However, there was no indication that their judgment was impaired, Retz said.
"It's not possible for both statements to be true," Retz said when asked by the presiding judge. If the defendants had consumed the amounts of drugs and alcohol they claimed, it would have significantly impaired their ability to control their actions. However, no such impairment could be detected from their statements.
The 53-year-old orthopedist was killed at the end of 2022. His former partner, her 18-year-old son, and her 17-year-old half-brother are accused of planning and carrying out the murder, and burying the body in a forest near Rockeskyll (Vulkaneifel district), according to the prosecution.
The motive is believed to be a strained family relationship. The victim had been drinking excessively for some time, leading to verbal and physical altercations, including on the night of the crime.
The young men are charged with joint murder: they are accused of lying in wait for the doctor after an argument with their mother, attacking him with a baseball bat and wrench, and strangling him with a rope. The 36-year-old woman is charged with joint manslaughter, as she is not accused of participating in the violence. She had been in a relationship with the doctor since 2011 and has three children with him.
According to Retz, the woman separated from the doctor in March 2022, citing his aggressive and violent behavior after drinking, as well as his relationships with other young women. After the separation, the doctor continued to frequent the house, and was heavily intoxicated on the night of the crime. The woman is a nurse.
The 17-year-old defendant started smoking cannabis with his half-brother at the age of 13 or 14, and later added speed and other drugs, Retz reported. They would often meet on weekends to consume these substances. Retz described their use as "harmful" but not addictive. The teenager had recurring problems in school.
Retz had less information about the 18-year-old defendant, as he had not been examined. This defendant started consuming cannabis at the age of 13 and later increased his consumption. "There is reason to suspect a drug problem that could develop into an addiction," Retz said.
The victim's body was missing for some time.
The doctor, last seen at his workplace in the Daun hospital on December 30, 2022, was considered missing for a long time. Last June, a walker discovered a part of the remains in the woods and notified the police. The investigation led to the discovery of the rest of the body in the adjacent woods.
The victim had been convicted four times since 2014 for verbal and physical assaults under the influence of excessive alcohol. He had struck his ex-wife once and later his current partner, who is now accused.
The arguments are scheduled for next Monday. The verdict could be delivered on August 21.
Despite their admissions of drug and alcohol consumption, the psychiatric expert found no evidence of impairment in the defendants' judgment during the crime. The 18-year-old defendant, in particular, had mentioned consuming drugs such as vodka, speed, cocaine, and amphetamines before the incident.
