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Trial: “Horror House” perpetrator: Verdict on preventive detention expected

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“Horror House” perpetrator: Judgment for preventive detention expected

Wilfried W. stands in a hall at the Paderborn regional court. photo

© Friso Gentsch/dpa

He tortured women – two died. Wilfried W. has served almost half of his prison sentence. Experts consider him dangerous. The preventive detention process is nearing completion.

In the process of the A verdict on preventive detention for the convicted perpetrator in the case of the so-called Höxter house of horrors could be made on Thursday. A spokeswoman for the court said that those involved in the proceedings at the Paderborn Regional Court were asked by the chamber to prepare for their pleadings. Whether the process actually comes to an end depends on how the proceedings progress on Thursday. The court still has to decide on a request from the defense for additional witnesses. However, an additional day of negotiations has not yet been scheduled.

Review: In a sensational trial in 2018, Wilfried W. was convicted because he and his ex-wife had tormented several women for years in the house near Höxter in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia. Two of the victims died completely emaciated after months of severe abuse. The ex-partner, who was also convicted, was sentenced to thirteen years in prison, Wilfried W. to eleven years.

Unlike his ex-wife, the court classified him as having reduced criminal responsibility. During the trial, an expert denied him the ability to distinguish between good and evil. The court followed her lead and sent Wilfried W. to a psychiatric hospital. However, doubts soon arose about this assessment. A later court ruling stated that he was capable of control and therefore fully responsible. The “incorrect instruction” was reversed. He has been serving his sentence in a regular correctional facility since 2020.

Because she considers him to be dangerous even after his prison term has expired and wants to see him behind bars, the public prosecutor subsequently applied for preventive detention. Following imprisonment, preventive detention serves to protect the general public from dangerous perpetrators. The defense continues to believe that W. is in the right place in a psychiatric ward and wants to prevent preventive detention.

Crucial to the verdict expected soon is the assessment of psychiatric experts on the question of whether Wilfried W. continues to pose a danger. Two forensic experts in the trial had identified a significant risk that he could commit serious crimes against women again while free. They certified that he had a high level of manipulation skills, callousness and criminal energy.

Psychiatrist Prof. Johannes Fuß described that he was unable to show empathy for his victims or remorse for his actions. Despite a learning disability, he has “a high level of criminal intelligence when it comes to exploiting women,” according to expert Prof. Hans-Ludwig Kröber. W. has also shown in the past that, with his antisocial personality, he is primarily concerned with “consuming and then torturing new women.”