A gasp can be heard on the line. “I’ve just killed my sister,” says the caller. “Do you understand?” Another gasp. Then the man on the phone gives the police his full name again and describes the route to the crime scene – his sister’s flat in Bremen. The Bremen district court plays the audio recording at the start of the trial, the accused does not comment on the murder charge for the time being.
The court tries to reconstruct the offence. The burden of proof is overwhelming: the recording of the emergency call, photos of the accused’s hands covered in blood and of a bent knife, two handwritten announcements and finally the descriptions of several police officers at the scene of the crime. The public prosecutor’s office accuses the 24-year-old of not agreeing with his sister’s lifestyle. A photo shows a petite woman with a royal blue headscarf. According to the accusations, he allegedly wanted to restore his honour on her 23rd birthday.
It was almost midnight on December 9 when the Somali man was standing outside his sister’s flat, according to the indictment. The 23-year-old opened the door for him and let him into her room. He then allegedly stabbed her several times in the upper body with a kitchen knife. According to the indictment, two stabs penetrated her body, she was injured in the heart and lungs and lost a lot of blood.
According to police records, it only took a minute after the emergency call was made for the first patrol to arrive at the scene. He and his colleague stormed into the apartment block, a police officer told the court. The door to the flat on the top floor was open and the accused fell to his knees at the sight of them, raising his hands. There was blood on his fingers and splashes on his black clothes. He started talking about what he had done to his sister, that he had used a kitchen knife – and that he had already packed a bag for prison as a precaution.
The police officer reports that he immediately went into the sister’s room. She was lying on her back on her bed in pink pyjamas, with the completely bent kitchen knife underneath. “I spoke to her, but there was no response,” says the police officer. He could no longer feel a pulse or detect any breathing, but her body was still warm. He fought for her life until the emergency services took over. But there was nothing more they could do for the birthday girl.
His colleague from the police also remembers the night four months ago very well. “I’ve seen a lot of dead bodies in my life, people have died in my arms. But the way she did – that was really extreme,” said the 28-year-old in court. The defendant had admitted to her without emotion that he had allegedly stabbed his sister in the name of honour. “That’s not an everyday occurrence, you don’t get that often.”
When asked, the police do not know how often such a crime occurs. Statistically, crimes are not categorised according to ideas of honour or religious affiliation. However, such murders are “often committed in an environment in which people live according to traditionally patriarchal gender roles”, according to the police.
At the start of the trial, the presiding judge reads out two handwritten notes that were found in the defendant’s flat. “My sister is trying to be a slut,” is written on one of the sheets. And further: “I can live without a future, but not without honour.” The 24-year-old remained silent in court, only blowing his nose once. His lawyer has announced that he may make a statement at the next hearing at the beginning of May. His mental state will still play an important role in the proceedings, alcohol has not been proven. A judgement could be made at the end of May.
„Habe meine Schwester umgebracht“: Mordprozess in Bremen (nordkurier.de)