She came to the Rhineland from Eritrea five years ago. A young woman who had big plans. Hanna attended a language course, she learned German, dreamed of a good job and, one day, of a family. But Hanna was murdered. A stalker (47 years old) wiped out her life.
In a state of shock, the friends and members of the Ethiopian Protestant community sit together in the living room on Wednesday (July 8th). They are sitting at a small memorial altar with photos of their dead girlfriend, have lit candles. Hanna’s best girlfriend struggles to control her composure as she talks about her dead roommate. “For months, Hanna lived in fear. “She dared to come out the door only with an escort. “because the man chasing her was always waiting for her.Every day the 47-year-old man, who lives just one street away in Schlebusch, bombarded the young woman with messages, phone calls and e-mails. “He became more and more aggressive, threatened Hanna more and more. She was intimidated and restricted in her life.”Hanna refused to have a relationship with the significantly older man, who has already been married twice and has three children in Ethiopia.”About three months ago, the situation escalated completely,” the girlfriend remembers. “Then he ambushed Hanna and threatened her with a hammer.” The 47-year-old allegedly asked her to marry him in the end, otherwise he would hurt her.Hanna went to the police, told them about the incident and the ongoing terror and also showed the officers hundreds of text messages.The officers told her to file a criminal complaint. This was the only way they could help her – and give the man a so-called warning, seriously admonish him. But Hanna was too afraid that her tormentor would only then become really angry – and do even worse to her as soon as the police had disappeared again.Hanna tried to bear the terror. But on Friday of last week tragedy struck. Cold-blooded murder was committed.
The stalker armed himself with a knife and ambushed Hanna in the hallway. When she came back from shopping, the killer pounced on her and stabbed the defenseless woman several times. Hanna collapsed. She died in the hallway.
The killer fled. A short time later, a special squad stormed his apartment and temporarily arrested his roommate. The Cologne homicide squad questioned him. He knew nothing about the crime.
One day after Hanna’s death, the police arrested the perpetrator in the Leverkusen district of Steinbüchel – for murder. The public prosecutor’s office assumes that he planned the crime intentionally.
In the coming days, members of the Ethiopian community will bury Hanna. The young woman has no relatives.Her best female friend has only one wish: “I don’t want Hanna’s death to have been in vain. Politics, society and justice must review the legislation on stalking. There is a loophole that needs to be closed. Much earlier than before, more action must be taken in the interests of the victim, not the perpetrator. Because the fact is that the police can only act ex officio when it is almost too late. Only if this is changed, perhaps the lives of other women can be saved in the future.”