Took military action

Soldier killed relatives of his ex: life imprisonment

(Bild: Phanphen)

A soldier in Germany has been sentenced to life imprisonment after a series of murders in Rotenburg that left four people dead. The 33-year-old had shot adult relatives of his ex-wife. He also negligently killed a three-year-old girl who was under a blanket in her mother's arms. 

The Verden Regional Court considered it proven that the 33-year-old had murdered three adults and killed a child through negligence. The court also established the particular gravity of his guilt. This means that early release after 15 years is almost impossible.

Defendant: child not shot on purpose
The German had made a comprehensive statement about the crimes in court. According to the verdict, the man shot four people close to his then wife in two houses in Lower Saxony on the night of March 1, 2024: the woman's 30-year-old new partner, his 55-year-old mother and his wife's 33-year-old best friend, who was holding their three-year-old daughter in her arms under a blanket. The man testified in court that he had not shot the child on purpose, but that he had not seen the girl under the blanket.

The public prosecutor and the joint plaintiff considered the testimony to be credible and did not classify the act as murder, but as involuntary manslaughter. The court followed this assessment and convicted the man of three counts of murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter.

He took a military approach
The soldier carried out the murders in a military manner. The background to the series of murders were marital problems and the soldier's worries about losing his family and his career in the Bundeswehr.

In their pleadings, the public prosecutor's office, joint prosecution and defense had demanded life imprisonment for murder. The public prosecutor's office and joint plaintiffs also requested that the court determine the particular gravity of the guilt. The defense argued against a finding of particular gravity of guilt.