Zoom Image
The defendant in the courtroom before the start of the trial
Photo: Silas Stein / dpa
It's about murder in two cases and hostage-taking: A trial against a 53-year-old is underway before the Hechingen District Court. The man is said to have killed his 20-year-old niece and a 23-year-old friend of hers in Albstadt in the south of Baden-Württemberg. According to the indictment, he was convinced that the two had stolen cash from him, among other things. According to the public prosecutor's office, however, there is no evidence of the theft. It is more likely to be assumed that the accused had spent his own money with a dissolute lifestyle.
Talking to experts about the deed
According to his defense lawyer, the defendant initially wanted to answer questions about himself, but decided against it at the trial. He would not say anything and accept his punishment. He didn't care, he wanted to go back to his cell, he said. In a statement read out by his defense, he admitted the act and expressed remorse, said a spokeswoman for the court.
A psychiatric expert testified that the defendant had spoken to him about the crimes and that three of the niece's friends should have died. According to a spokeswoman, the defendant assumed that they could also have had something to do with the theft.
The man is said to have ambushed his niece and threatened her with a pistol. She was tied up and asked to confess to the theft. The niece probably didn't, which is why the 53-year-old is said to have strangled her with a cable tie. He is said to have dismembered the body and buried it in the garden. Three days later, the man shot and killed the niece's 23-year-old boyfriend. He had lured him out of the house under a pretext and then abruptly pulled out the gun.
Eight days of hearings are scheduled, during which 60 witnesses are summoned. A verdict could be issued in mid-October.
ani/dpa