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yesterday

Potsdam Court Sentences 91-Year-Old Ex‑Prosecutor to Seven Years for Treacherous Murder of His Wife

Judges granted leniency due to diminished capacity.

Wegen der Tötung seiner bettlägerigen Ehefrau mit einer Axt ist ein 91-jähriger Brandenburger zu einer Freiheitsstrafe von sieben Jahren verurteilt worden. Das Landgericht Potsdam sprach den ehemaligen Staatsanwalt des heimtückischen Mordes schuldig.
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Weil er seine schlafende Frau tötete, ist ein 83-Jähriger vom Landgericht im nordrhein-westfälischen Bielefeld zu fünf Jahren und drei Monaten Haft verurteilt worden. Schuldig gesprochen wurde er wegen Totschlags, wie ein Gerichtssprecher mitteilte.
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Overview

  • The court found he killed his 87-year-old wife on May 19 in a Rathenow care home, striking from behind with an axe as she had no chance to defend herself.
  • Judges ruled the act constituted treacherous murder and imposed seven years after mitigating what would typically be a life sentence under German law.
  • Prosecutors had sought eight years and two months, while the defense asked for five years by invoking parallels to killing on request.
  • The defendant claimed he acted to end his wife's suffering, as the prosecutor explored a possible financial motive linked to about €3,800 in monthly care costs that his family described as burdensome.
  • The judgment is not yet final, and the court ordered his detention to continue on grounds of flight risk.