crime
Life for dentist after triple homicide
The defendant gets the maximum sentence for the triple murder. Photo: Frank Molter/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
A dentist shot his wife and two men. In its judgement, the court determines the particular gravity of the guilt. This means that early dismissal is practically impossible.
For three murders in May 2021 in Dänischenhagen (Schleswig-Holstein) and Kiel, the Kiel Regional Court imposed the maximum penalty for a dentist.
The jury sentenced the 48-year-old to life imprisonment for the murders of his wife, their new friend and another man. The defendant confessed to the crimes during the trial, but said he did not plan them.
The presiding judge Jörg Brommann said in his verdict that the chamber had also determined the particular gravity of the accused’s guilt. This means that the man cannot be released on probation after 15 years.
The public prosecutor and the joint plaintiff had demanded life imprisonment and a determination of the particular severity of the guilt for the German accused. The defense pleaded manslaughter. They also did not doubt that their client shot the three victims, but assumed that the crimes were not planned and that their criminal responsibility was reduced – in contrast to the psychiatric expert.
Almost 50 rounds from a submachine gun
On the morning of May 19, 2021, the man fired almost 50 shots from a submachine gun at his wife as she greeted her new acquaintance in the entrance of a semi-detached house in Dänischenhagen. The coroner registered 48 shots in her – the first ones are said to have been fatal. Many pierced her body and met the new acquaintance ten years her senior. Both bled to death at the scene.
Just half an hour later, the third victim, a 52-year-old mutual acquaintance, died in Kiel from five shots in the face. According to the indictment, the man blamed him for the failure of his marriage.
Dentist turned himself in to the police
The double murder in Dänischenhagen had caused a great stir. After neighbors heard gunshots and alerted the police, emergency services discovered the bodies and raised the alarm. At times, the brewery district in Kiel was cordoned off because the escape vehicle described was said to have been seen there. There was only a sigh of relief when the dentist appeared in Hamburg on the evening of May 19, 2021 and admitted the crimes. There the officials learned from him about the third death.
Before the murders, the 48-year-old had stalked his ex-partner, placed a GPS transmitter on her car and spied on the later crime scene. He ignores a violence protection order. He searched the Internet for terms such as “lifetime”, “murderer” and “guilt”. According to witnesses, the woman was scared to death. The father of four wrote to a friend from custody: “Having to live with this guilt of being a murderer is the worst punishment.”