The trial for a 25-year-old unemployed man with a migration background who stabbed a girl five times with a knife last June has begun in Esslingen, Germany. The man said he targeted the child because he thought an adult would be more able to resist his attacks.
On June 10, the 7-year-old victim had just taken off her backpack and was planning to take a seat for breakfast at the Katharinen School in Esslingen when the man stabbed her with full force five times in the back of the head. The kitchen knife the man used featured a blade 20 centimeters long and penetrated all the way through the girl’s skull.
A hero caregiver, Svetlana D., responded by rushing to the girl’s rescue, dragging the badly injured little girl into another room and locking them both inside. In the process of trying to save the girl, the 61-year-old suffered multiple stab wounds.
The attacker then fled the scene and called the police himself.
The suspect, Kirijan K., is being described as an unemployed “Dutchman” by most news outlets, and although the man has Dutch citizenship, he features a migration background.
The prosecutor in the case said that Kirijan K. “wanted to kill some person.” While being interrogated by police, the suspect indicated he was “socially excluded” and frustrated.
“The accused expected an adult to resist. Therefore, he chose a child to attack,” said the prosecutor, according to the German tabloid Bild.
The suspect may face no prison time at all. As is often the case, many migrants are deemed to be psychologically unfit for prison and are instead placed in a psychiatric ward.
“The defendant suffers from a combined personality disorder with a strong ego orientation,” according to authorities. He now faces life in prison or permanent detention in a psychiatric facility.