Justice
“I killed my sister”: murder trial in Bremen
The defendant has not yet commented on the murder charge. photo
© Mirjam Uhrich/dpa
The Bremen regional court is trying to reconstruct a suspected murder. Did a young woman have to die because her brother didn’t approve of her lifestyle?
A wheeze can be heard on the line. “I just killed my sister,” the caller says. “Did you understand?” Another wheeze. Then the man on the phone gives the police his full name again and describes the route to the crime scene – his sister’s apartment in Bremen. The Bremen regional court plays the audio recording at the start of the trial, and the defendant initially does not comment on the murder charge.
So the court tries to reconstruct the crime. The burden of evidence is overwhelming: the recording of the emergency call, photos of the defendant’s hands covered in blood and of a bent knife, two handwritten announcements and finally the descriptions of several police officers from the crime scene. The public prosecutor accuses the 24-year-old of not agreeing with his sister’s lifestyle. One photo shows a petite woman wearing a royal blue headscarf. According to the allegations, he allegedly wanted to restore his honor on her 23rd birthday.
The alleged perpetrator had already packed his bag for prison
It was December 9th, almost midnight, when the Somali man stood in front of his sister’s apartment, according to the prosecution. The 23-year-old opened the door for him and let him into her room. Then he is said to have stabbed her upper body several times with a kitchen knife. According to the prosecution, two stab wounds penetrated her body; she was injured in her heart and lungs and lost a lot of blood.
According to police records, it only took a minute after the emergency call was made for the first patrol to arrive at the scene. A police officer told the court that he stormed into the apartment building with his colleague. The door to the apartment on the top floor was open and the defendant fell to his knees when he saw it and still kept his hands up. There was blood on his fingers and also on his black clothing. He started talking on his own: that he had done something to his sister, that he had used a kitchen knife – and that he had already packed a bag for prison as a precaution.
Witness: “That was crazy”
The police officer reports that he immediately went to the sister’s room. She was lying on her back on her bed in pink pajamas with the completely bent kitchen knife underneath. “I spoke to her, but there was no response,” says the police officer. He no longer felt a pulse and could not detect any breathing, but her body was still warm. He fought for her life until rescue workers took over. But there was nothing more they could do for the birthday child.
His police colleague also still remembers the night four months ago. “I’ve seen a lot of corpses in my life, people have died in my arms. But the way she did – that was crazy,” the 28-year-old said in court. The defendant admitted to her without emotion that he allegedly stabbed his sister in the name of honor. “This isn’t an everyday operation, you don’t see it often.”
“I can live without a future, but not without honor”
When asked, the police do not know how often such a crime occurs. Statistically, actions are not categorized according to ideas of honor or religious affiliation. However, such murders are “often committed in an environment in which traditional, patriarchally defined gender roles are lived,” say the police.
At the start of the trial, the presiding judge reads out two handwritten notes that were found in the defendant’s apartment. “My sister is trying to be a slut,” reads one of the sheets. And further: “I can live without a future, but not without honor.” The 24-year-old remained silent in court, only blowing his nose once. His lawyer announced that he might speak at the next hearing in early May. His mental state will play an important role in the proceedings; alcohol has not been proven. A verdict could come at the end of May.