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The Berlin police address the public with this photo of the victim
Photo: Berlin Police
The pastor's fate made him very sad.
But he has nothing to do with the death of the 77-year-old.
"I did not kill Reinhold Zuber, I am innocent," said Vandam G. in court on Thursday.
The young man is charged with murder.
Together with Cristian-Cosmin C. and an unknown third party, he is said to have killed the pastor in his apartment in Berlin-Moabit on June 30 or July 1, 2020.
According to the prosecution, the three men wanted to steal money and valuables.
Vandam G. and Cristian-Cosmin C. come from Videle, a small town in southern Romania.
One is 21, the other 24 years old.
On the first day of the trial before the 8th Great Youth Chamber of the Berlin Regional Court, she and her defense lawyers do not reveal whether or how well the two know each other.
"Mr. C. will defend himself in silence," says one of his two lawyers.
Vandam G., on the other hand, is not silent.
He has his defense attorney Robert Tietze read a statement on his behalf.
He does not allow questions.
In order to earn money for his family, he offered himself to men
Vandam G. explains that he worked “as a prostitute in the gay neighborhood” in Berlin-Schöneberg.
He actually wanted to train as a car mechanic, but couldn't find an apprenticeship position.
In order to earn money for his partner and the two children, he offered himself to men.
It is uncomfortable for him to reveal such intimate details.
He also lets his lawyer say that.
On the evening of June 30, 2020, the 21-year-old was waiting for customers on a playground.
Around 7 p.m., "an elderly gentleman" spoke to him.
They quickly came to an agreement.
The man wanted to satisfy him orally for 80 euros.
He is actually not gay, Vandam G. tells his lawyer that he only does this for the money.
He drove with the pastor in a taxi to his apartment in Berlin-Moabit.
The 77-year-old offered him something to drink, showed him old photos and wanted to talk to him.
Vandam G. says he was not interested in a conversation, understood only a little and wanted to get the matter over with quickly.
They went into the bedroom.
The sex "only half worked", which is why Zuber supposedly wanted to be satisfied by Vandam G.
He refused, but the pastor did not give up.
The situation has become "uncomfortable".
Vandam G. finally left the apartment, he was there for about an hour.
The next day he drove to Romania with his partner and the children.
His aunt was dying.
The trip had been planned for a long time.
The defense has submitted a letter from the authorities to prove that Vandam G. crossed the Hungarian-Romanian border at 4.16 a.m. on July 2nd.
A few days later his aunt died.
The defense also proves this with a document.
Neighbors missed him and dialed 911
Reinhold Zuber was found dead in his apartment on July 4th.
Neighbors missed him and called 911.
On August 21, Vandam G. and Cristian-Cosmin C. were arrested in Videle, Romania.
They have been in custody in Berlin since September.
The investigators had already turned to the public shortly after the pastor's death, with a photo of Zubers they are still looking for witnesses.
It is unclear on which evening the 77-year-old died exactly.
Why he was killed is also unclear.
The prosecution leaves much in the vague.
According to the public prosecutor's office, the father of the family, Cristian-Cosmin C., and the pastor, who was a city missionary in the former city mission congregation in Berlin-Schöneberg, had an intimate relationship.
According to the public prosecutor's office, the defendant is said to have gained the impression that Reinhold Zuber is wealthy.
He is said to have reported about this to Vandam G. and the unknown accomplice.
On June 30 or July 1, he is said to have let the two men into the apartment at around 7.45 p.m.
According to the public prosecutor, Cristian-Cosmin C. was looking for valuables while the two were abusing the senior citizen.
He removed carpets and ripped out floor panels.
Vandam G. hit and kicked the 77-year-old in the face, according to the indictment.
The unknown accomplice had "probably" helped him, says the prosecutor.
Perhaps because the pastor had shouted for help, Vandam G. then pressed a pillow into his face together with the stranger.
Reinhold Zuber suffocated.
Has anything been stolen at all?
Immediately after the indictment was read out, the presiding judge, Susanne Pfefferkorn, issued a legal notice.
The public prosecutor's office assumes murder out of greed and with the intention of concealment.
However, the Chamber advises that instead of a murder conviction, a manslaughter conviction could also be considered.
Because the indictment does not reveal "whether and, if so, which objects of value are supposed to have been stolen".
Outside the trial, Vandam G's defense attorney said that there were several hundred euros on a table in the victim's apartment. He also says that a neighbor claims to have seen the pastor on the evening of July 1st. Vandam G. had long been on his way to Romania.
