In October 2022, a dispute in Niederkorn led to the deaths of two individuals. This week, the accused made his first appearance in court.
On 17 October 2022, a 74-year-old man attacked two people with a firearm on Rue des Trévires, Niederkorn, killing both in the middle of the street. This week, the case finally went to court, where the judge attempted to establish how an argument resulted in the deaths of a 62-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man.
According to the newspaper Luxemburger Wort, the 76-year-old defendant testified on Tuesday that he had "suffered" for five years due to ongoing conflicts with his neighbours. He claimed they had made his life "unbearable". On the morning of 17 October 2022, he retrieved a shotgun from his attic and hid it in a bin on his driveway. The man then started cleaning the stairs outside his home. When his neighbours left their residence, he shot them. After they were injured, he shot them again at close range. Following the attack, he dismantled the firearm using a saw and resumed cleaning his stairs. He offered no resistance when police arrived roughly 30 minutes later.
During the second day of the trial, several witnesses testified, including young residents who lived in the same duplex beneath the victims' flat. They described being "constantly harassed" by the couple. One young woman stated she moved out after 18 months, explaining that while she did not condone the defendant's actions, she could understand how tensions had escalated. Another witness told the court that she only sold her flat because of the neighbours, explaining that "after one year, I was so done." Both women described the couple as generally rude, explaining that the woman in particular was "controlling" and constantly knocking on their door to complain. Additionally, the witnesses mentioned that the couple struggled with paying bills. Other residents of the neighbourhood told the police that the couple allegedly placed drawing pins on a street that used by children riding bikes. The couple also reportedly once deflated a football that had landed on their property before throwing it back onto the street.
A police expert largely corroborated the defendant's testimony from the previous day. Among the findings, it was confirmed that the couple had owned a transmitter that interfered with the defendant's garage door and a camera that, on one occasion, had been aimed at his property. The police had also once responded to a complaint from the defendant regarding the destruction of his tomato plants, which he claimed had been damaged with salt or a similar substance. This was not the only time police were called to the neighbourhood, as other residents reportedly sent frequent letters of complaint to the couple.
An analysis of a seized laptop supported the defendant's claim that he had been in the process of searching for a new home. He and his wife had plans to sell their property in Niederkorn and relocate to Portugal, having already contacted a real estate agent to facilitate their move.
A psychiatric expert determined that the defendant did not suffer from any psychiatric condition. While the defendant's actions may have appeared irrational, the expert explained that he was fully aware of what he was doing at the time of the incident. The psychiatrist noted that the defendant described the events with the precision of "a lawyer".
During the investigation, the defendant's wife testified that her husband had a tendency to "lose it" when provoked but would typically calm down quickly. She emphasised that he was not "a bad person" and that she did not foresee the incident. One of the defendant's daughters also testified, describing her father as "impulsive" but not aggressive.
