Because he feels overwhelmed with the care of his wife, an 85-year-old from Bavaria decides to commit a perfidious act. First he hits his wife with a baton, then when she stops moving he chokes her to death. A suicide attempt fails.
Because he killed his wife, who was in need of care, an 85-year-old from Bavaria should go to prison for eight years. The Munich regional court sentenced the man to prison for manslaughter, as a court spokesman said. The verdict is not yet legally binding.
Prosecutors accused the man of killing his wife in June. Accordingly, the couple lived in a shared apartment. However, since a brain hemorrhage in April, the woman had been in need of care and was dependent on her husband.
According to the public prosecutor's office, the accused was increasingly overwhelmed with the care of his wife. The sole household management overstrained him accordingly. He also worried that his wife would be left helpless if something happened to him.
Eventually he is said to have decided to kill his wife. According to the indictment, he beat her with the baton of an African percussion instrument, a so-called knobkierie. When she no longer resisted, he strangled her. The man then dialed 911. A suicide attempt failed.
Prosecutors had asked for an eleven-year prison sentence for manslaughter. The defense pleaded for two and a half years in prison.
According to the court, the extensive confession of the 85-year-old spoke in favor of the accused. "This is a confession that cannot be criticized at all," said the presiding judge. The confession was "credibly supported by an admission of guilt and remorse". It is rare that a perpetrator, as in this case, dials the emergency number himself immediately after committing the crime and confesses to the crime. The man was "confessed" and "cooperative". "I am ashamed of what I have done," said the accused before the verdict. He was driven that day by a "force that he could not define".
