In the Trier (Rhineland-Palatinate) frenzy trial in Germany that left five people dead, the accused was sentenced to life imprisonment for multiple murders and attempted murder. The court in Trier also found the guilt to be particularly serious on Tuesday and ordered the man to be placed in a closed psychiatric hospital.
It was clear to the court that the 52-year-old raced through the pedestrian zone in his SUV on December 1, 2020, to kill or injure as many people as possible. Five victims died in the act: a nine-week-old baby, his father (45) and three women aged 73, 52 and 25. There were also numerous injured and about 300 traumatized eyewitnesses. The prosecutor had charged the German with five murders and attempted murder in 18 other cases and with serious bodily harm.
Victim of a “large-scale plot”
According to a psychiatric expert, the 52-year-old suffers from paranoid schizophrenia with bizarre delusions. As a result, he is less culpable and is regarded as a danger to the public. The suspect sees himself as the victim of “a large-scale conspiracy by the state” against him and feels persecuted, bugged and watched, the expert explains. The amok rider doesn’t want to have any memory of the crime period.
The trained electrician remained silent about the allegations throughout the trial. According to the charges, at the time of the crime he was single, unemployed, with no fixed address and frustrated with his personal circumstances.
Witnesses remember the screams from then
In the more than 40 days of negotiations since August 19, 2021, dozens of witnesses have been questioned who spoke of traumatic experiences. Many had described how the man deliberately approached, wounded and killed his victims. They also told how heavy the experience weighed on them to this day: the images kept coming back, they remembered the screams from then.
Most of the victims’ lawyers had voted in favor of life imprisonment and placement of the man in a psychiatric ward. The defense was for hospitalization.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, when the verdict becomes final, the measure of placement in a psychiatric ward will first be implemented. It is valid indefinitely. If an expert concludes after five or 25 years that the man is cured, normal prison systems follow. The amok driver is therefore “probably no longer able to get out of prison”, according to the senior public prosecutor.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
