Manslaughter trial - Trial for fatal stabbing of 17-year-old: Confession
The process regarding a fatal stabbing of a teenager in front of a house in Hamburg-Billstedt began with an apology. "I can only apologize, especially to the family, it pains me infinitely", said the defendant's statement, read by his lawyer at the Criminal Court at the Landgericht on Tuesday. The public prosecutor accuses the 24-year-old man with Italian citizenship of manslaughter.
The man is said to have attacked the 17-year-old after an argument with a Klappmesser (a type of knife). According to the prosecution, the young Afghan wanted to pick up a 14-year-old friend from the apartment on January 25th. However, the defendant denied him entry, leading to the altercation.
Stabbing without warning
The 17-year-old had left the house with several other people. On the courtyard of the multi-family house, the defendant is said to have inflicted a life-threatening stab wound on the teenager without warning. The victim tried to flee but tripped and fell. The defendant is said to have then stepped on the teenager lying on the ground and stabbed him again. The 17-year-old died a few hours later in the hospital.
Search for the fugitive
A special unit stormed the apartment in search of the fleeing suspect but could not find him. Four days later, the police arrested the 24-year-old in another apartment in the St. Georg district. According to the public prosecutor, the defendant was homeless. He himself declared that the apartment in Billstedt was his own. There, he had chilled with friends, played, and smoked marijuana after work. He did not deal drugs. On the day of the incident, he had returned home from a visit to his probation officer and had smoked marijuana in his room.
The 17-year-old's opponent also had a knife in hand
In the argument in front of the house, the defendant's 17-year-old opponent also had a knife in hand. He reacted without resistance and stabbed once. "We were both involved in the escalation", the statement continued. He did not want to plead self-defense. "It was completely idiotic behavior from me", the 24-year-old admitted. The entire incident was recorded by a surveillance camera, according to the defense.
The public prosecutor's office is currently handling the criminal case related to the knife thrust that resulted in the teenager's fatal injury in Billstedt, Hamburg. The defendant, a 24-year-old man with Italian citizenship, alleged manslaughter following an apology and expressed his deep regret at the Landgericht Criminal Court. During the altercation, both the defendant and the 17-year-old victim had knives, and the defendant reportedly delivered the lethal strike without warning. Following the incident, the defendant became a fugitive, but four days later, he was apprehended in another apartment in St. Georg.
