Regional court Leipzig (archive picture): Man convicted of murdering his wife
Photo: Hendrik Schmidt / zb / DPA
The Leipzig Regional Court has convicted an 83-year-old man for the murder of his wife.
The man from Oschatz was sentenced to seven years in prison.
"You have insidiously killed your wife, but you are only partially responsible for the crime," said the judge presiding over the jury, Hans Weiss.
The court thus followed the assessment of the psychiatric expert, who had attested the defendant to be less responsible.
The court is convinced that the 83-year-old pressed a pillow on the face of his sleeping wife on the morning of June 4th and suffocated the 82-year-old.
The victim was unable to counter this attack, said the presiding judge.
For years there had been arguments about alleged infidelity between the couple, who had been married for 63 years.
However, there was no evidence of an affair suspected by the defendant with his neighbor, who was almost 30 years younger, according to the verdict.
A specific reason for the act could not be worked out in the negotiation.
According to the court, the accused harbored a general grudge and felt inferior as a man after a prostate operation, according to the court.
The jury chamber followed the prosecutor's request in making the judgment.
The defense had demanded an acquittal because the process had not produced any concrete evidence against their client.
The lawyer announced that he wanted to examine an appeal.
The verdict is not yet legally binding.
bbr / dpa
