He feared a loss of reputation: Muslim stabs pregnant German girlfriend to death

The verdict is now in – in what is probably one of the worst cases in Cologne and the region in recent years.

The 34-year-old man who killed his then pregnant girlfriend and her unborn baby in October 2023 was sentenced to twelve years in prison at Cologne Regional Court on Monday ( the 17th of June 2024). The sentence was for manslaughter, not murder. The 21st High Criminal Chamber did not consider the murder motive to be fulfilled.

The case had affected the entire region in 2023: At around 8.30 pm on the 25th of October, the expectant mother (†35) was on her way to an apartment building in the Rheindorf district of Leverkusen, where the accused lived with his mother and others. She had previously announced the visit to him in a chat: she wanted to tell his mother about her relationship and the pregnancy.
According to the indictment, the accused had previously kept this secret from his Muslim family. He is said to have feared a loss of reputation due to an illegitimate child and therefore decided to kill the woman, who was four months pregnant, and the foetus.

He is said to have taken a kitchen knife with a wooden handle and a 14-centimetre-long blade, and to have waited for the 35-year-old outside the house.

An argument ensued there, during which he allegedly snatched her mobile phone from her hand. The situation then moved towards a junction.

There, the accused allegedly stabbed the 35-year-old woman several times with intent to kill. The pregnant woman suffered at least ten stab wounds and cuts, particularly in the abdominal area. It was too late to save her and the child in her womb.

The case before the Cologne Regional Court had been taking place since April 2024, with the two police officers who first arrived at the scene testifying as witnesses.

An officer (30) of the Cologne police had found the accused sitting on the pavement. “He was apathetic, staring straight ahead with a blank stare,” he said on the witness stand. He had also not enquired about the woman’s condition at any time. “We also considered that astonishing.” Instead, he allegedly claimed that the woman had cheated on him.
At the start of the trial, the mother and sister of the woman who was killed caused particular emotion in the case by holding a photo of their daughter and sister up to the cameras in court.

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