Regional court - Trial started for alleged contract killing 20 years ago
In the trial for the alleged contract killing of a woman in Schöten near Apolda almost 20 years ago, the four accused do not want to enter a plea. This was announced by the men's defense attorneys on Monday after the reading of the indictment at the start of the trial at Erfurt District Court.
The public prosecutor's office accuses three of the accused of joint murder for greed. They are said to have ambushed a 35-year-old woman in Schöten early in the morning on January 16, 2004 and - following a common plan - killed her with seven pistol shots from close range. One of the defendants, all of them German, is said to have fired the shots, another to have secured the crime scene and the third to have driven the getaway car. Another defendant is said to have incited the three men to commit the crime against his then wife. He must answer for incitement to murder out of greed.
According to the indictment, the husband had wanted to avert economic ruin through ongoing divorce proceedings.
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The case of alleged contract killing in Schöten near Apolda has seen four men, all German, facing charges at the Regional Court in Erfurt. The public prosecutor has accused three of them of joint murder for greed, while the fourth is charged with incitement to murder out of greed. The indictment states that the murder was planned and executed to prevent economic ruin due to ongoing divorce proceedings. The trial began with the men refusing to enter a plea. This incident of criminality has brought Thuringia's legal processes into focus, with the arraignment taking place in the city of Erfurt.
Source: www.stern.de
