Woman found guilty of murdering her own daughter and mother.
In October 2023, Berlin witnessed an shocking incident: A 42-year-old deeply religious woman, along with her mother, devised a suicide pact. However, following the murder of their 11-year-old daughter and 68-year-old grandmother, their suicide attempts failed. Now, she faces a decades-long prison term.
The court sentenced the 42-year-old woman to 8 years and 3 months in prison for the murder of her daughter and mother. The court established beyond doubt that she had slit the throats of both women, and also stabbed her daughter in the heart, leading to their deaths.
The 71-year-old father of the woman was sentenced to 6 years in prison for accessory to manslaughter. The plan for a multi-generational suicide seems to have originated from the mother, who shared a co-dependent relationship with the defendant, according to the court. The 68-year-old had decided to end her life, leading her husband and daughter to join the plan. The family was part of a Free Church, and lived a bible-abiding and pietistic lifestyle, as per D.A.'s claim. Before the heinous act, the family had become increasingly isolated from society.
Daughter wrote a farewell letter to her friend
The defendant argued that her 11-year-old daughter also had no desire to live. Judge Gregor Herb, however, refuted this claim, asserting that it was just her mother's fear of foreigners and alienation that drove her daughter to such thoughts. On the contrary, the 11-year-old wanted to commit suicide along with her mother and grandmother, but merely out of compulsion and a longing to stay with her own mother.
"An eleven-year-old cannot validly agree to her own murder," Herb said. The daughter had written a farewell letter to her friend, claiming that she was off to heaven and would bring them cats and daily gifts. While these claims were taken into account, Herb had declared that they lacked any bearing on the matter. Hence, the court ruled out the possibility of the act being mercy killing.
Shared plan for extended suicide
The incident occurred on October 13, 2023, as per the agreed plan. First, the 42-year-old woman cut her daughter's wrists in their apartment, and then helped her mother, who had previously made an unsuccessful suicide attempt. The court deemed this as a manslaughter-for-hire.
Subsequently, the woman herself attempted suicide, but her attempt failed. Her father also tried to take his own life in his apartment, but his attempt was unsuccessful. He informed another daughter about his suicide attempt the following day, but by then, both his wife and granddaughter were already deceased, leaving only the woman alive, though in critical condition due to her multiple suicide attempts.
She reduced her daughter to bones
The court's verdict was more severe than the prosecution had demanded. They had petitioned for a 4-year, 3-month prison sentence for the woman. The woman had inflicted severe injuries on her own child, reducing her to bones, emphasized the judge. "This act was nothing short of inhumane." The defense lawyer for the woman had made no specific plea.
The court imposed a heavier sentence on the grandfather than demanded. The prosecution had demanded a 3-year prison sentence for the 71-year-old instead of the now-imposed 6-year sentence. The grandfather had supported his granddaughter's murder through various actions, according to Herb. However, the defense had argued for the man's acquittal.
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Despite the woman's arguments, the court ruled out the possibility of infanticide or mercy killing in the case of her 11-year-old daughter. The international community expressed concern over this unique instance of 'Murder and manslaughter' and 'Suicide' in the heart of Berlin, where this family, associated with a Free Church, had isolated themselves. This tragic incident also drew attention to 'Infanticide', a topic that largely goes unspoken in international forums. In the aftermath, the churches worldwide have started discussions on suicide and its prevalence among their followers.
