The charges sound like scenes from a horror film: A man beats his girlfriend, hits her head against the floor and wall until she becomes unconscious, and forces her to slit her wrists. Later he hits the pregnant woman in the stomach and deposits a functioning weapon of war in her basement. Sitting in the dock in front of the Munich district court is Dominik Z., who occasionally grins, says that he is sorry and that he has consumed a lot of coke and alcohol.
The witnesses who are supposed to testify in the trial must first exercise patience. The start of the hearing is postponed because a lay judge arrives late. Then, after the indictment has been read out, a legal discussion between those involved in the trial is announced. Then, almost three hours later, some witnesses are released again. An agreement has been reached.
Dominik Z. is 33 years old, he comes from the Ebersberg district, and when asked about his marital status, he initially says “single”. But then his lawyer nudges him from behind and whispers something in his ear. “Ah no,” he says, “I’m engaged.” A rogue who remembers that family members are allowed to refuse to testify in court.
In any case, the public prosecutor’s office accuses the man of possessing military weapons. Dominik Z. is said to have a fully functional, fully automatic Zastava assault rifle; the Serbian model is based on a Kalashnikov. In addition, the appropriate ammunition, as well as a sharp FEG Browning handgun, also with cartridges. He is said to have given the latter to a friend. According to the prosecution, Dominik Z. is said to have hidden the assault rifle in his friend’s barn and later in his girlfriend’s basement.
The girlfriend, his current fiancée, told the police that Dominik Z. had beaten her with his fists and abused her for hours in their apartment in the Dachau district in September 2022. The indictment states that she repeatedly lost consciousness, that he poured water on her and beat her until she came to. She was supposed to slit her wrists with a steak knife, then he allegedly locked her on the balcony in her underwear until four in the morning. Another incident dates back to January 2023, in which Dominik Z. is said to have hit the pregnant woman in the stomach.
But then everything turns out differently than expected: the proceedings due to the alleged brutal mistreatment are discontinued at the request of the public prosecutor. Because the fiancée recently gave birth, she cannot currently be heard as a witness. In addition, according to the public prosecutor, her statement and the forensic doctor’s report on her injuries do not correspond in parts. There’s also the matter of the engagement. And the friend who was allegedly given the weapon as a gift and is said to have stashed the other one and is therefore being prosecuted does not have to incriminate himself by giving a witness statement in court and can remain silent.
In the end, the court offers the defendant a maximum prison sentence of three years and nine months if he confesses. Dominik Z. confesses and says that if he hit his fiancée’s stomach, he is sorry. But he consumed a lot of alcohol and coke. “I was awake for three days that day,” he says, grinning. The process continues.