Exactly half a year ago, a bloody deed in the small town of Barth (Vorpommern-Rügen) caused a commotion. Now the husband of the murdered woman has been sentenced by the Stralsund Regional Court.
The 43-year-old man must serve eleven years in prison for the murder of his wife. The presiding judge said on Wednesday that he had acted out of jealousy and, based on that, from a base motive. The sentence was aggravated by the fact that he had “deprived his children of their mother”.
The chamber considered it proven that the man, who came from Morocco, had stabbed the woman 35 times with a kitchen knife in a shelter for asylum seekers on October 12. He had intended to kill her and, according to witnesses, said immediately afterwards: “I am a man. I had to do it.”
According to the judge, the punishment was aggravated by the fact that the man had taken photos and videos of the victim with his mobile phone immediately after the crime and sent them. In the videos, he claimed to have caught her with another man, contrary to the facts.
The marital relationship had suffered from the husband’s drug and alcohol consumption for a long time. In addition, he had displayed a “will of exclusive possession” towards his wife.
The court did not impose a life sentence – as actually provided for murder – because a considerable reduction of the man’s ability to control the situation at the time of the crime could not be ruled out. The man had previously consumed alcohol and cocaine.
The court considered the man’s confession at the beginning of the trial and his remorse as mitigating factors. The court ordered the man to be placed in a rehabilitation centre. Prior to that, three years and six months of the prison sentence had to be served.
The prosecution had asked for 13 years imprisonment for murder. The defence had pleaded to manslaughter and demanded six years imprisonment. The sentence is not yet final. According to a defence lawyer, the convicted man still wants to consider a possible appeal.