Zwickau/Syrau (dpa/sn) - In the trial of the ax murder in Syrau in Vogtland, the accused was sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday. The Zwickau district court saw it as proven that the 28-year-old had killed his landlady's 38-year-old partner in Syrau in mid-April of this year, according to a statement. The man, who was heavily under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crime, is now to be housed in an addiction treatment facility. The court also awarded the victim's survivors compensation of 12,000 euros.
The reason for the crime is said to have been a mobile phone plug of the accused. This was unlawfully stuck in a garage belonging to the landlady. Because the 27-year-old man suspected that the victim had turned off the electricity, he is said to have killed the man. The verdict against him is not yet final. The accused can appeal to the Federal Court of Justice within one week.
According to the verdict, the accused, under the influence of alcohol, first hit the head of the 38-year-old, who was alone in bed, with a beer bottle. He then stabbed him several times with a kitchen knife and then hit his head five times with an ax. The German then called the police, waited at the scene for the police officers to arrive and confessed to the murder. He had previously announced his actions via WhatsApp messages. Both men lived in the small town in the Vogtland district and knew each other.
The victim's partner, who owns the house, slept on the ground floor of the house and did not notice the crime. Even before the crime, the convict had had other criminal records, but not for violent crimes.
