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Indefinite Psychiatric Confinement Ordered in Aschaffenburg Park Killings

The court found the attacker not criminally responsible due to paranoid schizophrenia, prompting secure hospitalization with yearly review.

Overview

  • Landgericht Aschaffenburg mandated unbounded placement in a secure psychiatric hospital, with the ruling taking effect and subject to at least annual review by the enforcement chamber.
  • Court expert Hans-Peter Volz diagnosed paranoid schizophrenia and said the defendant heard commanding voices, warning of a very high risk of further aggressive acts without treatment.
  • The January 22 attack in Schöntal Park killed a two-year-old boy and a 41-year-old helper and seriously injured a two-year-old girl, a 59-year-old educator and a 73-year-old passerby.
  • Prosecution, defense and victims’ counsel all requested psychiatric commitment rather than a prison sentence, and the defendant admitted the acts through his lawyer.
  • Reporting links the outcome to missed intervention chances, including an alleged August 2024 assault in a refugee shelter and a police officer’s recent conviction for failing to investigate that case, intensifying scrutiny of prior medical and police responses.