Neubrandenburg
Trial begins after the brutal death of a nine-year-old – “The ‘why’ will always remain”
Crosses, stuffed animals and flowers stand at the scene of the accident in Neubrandenburg, where a nine-year-old died brutally
© Stefan Sauer / DPA
A teenager stabbed a child several times near Neubrandenburg in September 2023. The boy died – and the alleged perpetrator must now answer in court.
The trial is taking place behind closed doors, but it is still likely to receive a lot of attention: it begins on Tuesday morning in front of the regional court Neubrandenburg in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania the trial in the case of a killed six-year-old.
The public prosecutor’s office accuses a teenager of manslaughter after he is said to have attacked the boy named Joel near a football field in the small community of Pragsdorf near Neubrandenburg. According to the Youth Court Act, the suspect faces a youth sentence of up to ten years.
The Pragsdorf case received nationwide attention
The prosecution’s accusation reads as cruel and brutal: on September 14th last year, the defendant punched the boy several times in the face and stabbed him seven times with a knife with a blade about 15 centimeters long.
The public prosecutor’s office alleges that Joel died as a result of the stabs due to blood loss and compression of the sternum, which the then 14-year-old at least accepted with approval. Nothing is yet known about a possible motive.
The case of Joel, who was killed, caused a stir nationwide, but it particularly shocked the small community of Pragsdorf with its few hundred residents. Above all, the question of “why” remains, said Mayor Ralf Opitz. He also could not imagine that this question would now be answered in the trial. “The ‘why’ will always remain.”
There will be no more justice. “If he gets ten years now, then he’ll be out after ten years, but the child will still be dead,” said Opitz.
According to the court, five witnesses have been called at the start of the trial on Tuesday. It remains to be seen whether the defendant, who has been in custody for several months, will respond to the allegations. According to the information, six further dates are planned for continuation after the start of the trial.