A seven-year-old child was stabbed to death by a 76-year-old on the street. The court must now decide whether the accused was delusional.
Basel (dpa) - At the start of the trial for the killing of a seven-year-old child in Basel, the defendant confessed to the act. The 76-year-old said before the criminal court that she acted in an affect.
"I regret it every day. I feel sorry for the family." She never thought that she was capable of such an act, said the elderly woman. "I was desperate because I was on the brink." The student was killed by stabs in the neck on the street in March 2019.
The prosecution assumes that the crime was meticulously prepared. The accused suffered from a delusional disorder, namely a troublemaker delusion. The accused wrote delusional letters to various authorities for over 42 years, the prosecution said. From 2002 onwards, the woman's letters often referred to murder.
The 76-year-old told in detail in court about her decades of disputes with the authorities. "We should have finally stopped bothering us and sitting with us." When asked why a child died, the defendant was unable to answer. The authorities drove them so far and treated them like "fair game".
After the fact, the woman charged with sending a prepared text message to several people. At 1.30 p.m. - one hour after the homicide - she "calm down" and handed over the murder weapon. The public prosecutor's office requested that the 76-year-olds be detained because she was guilty of incompetence due to her mental health. A verdict is expected on Tuesday.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 200810-99-108920 / 3