The trial of three defendants accused in connection with the brutal killing of a restaurant employee began on Tuesday at the Luxembourg City Court. The gruesome events in question took place on the evening of 16 April 2022 when a 46-year old female employee was violently murdered in the office area of the Vapiano restaurant on Avenue Kennedy in Kirchberg.
The restaurant was preparing to close around 11pm when one of the accused – an employee – received a call from a colleague asking if he could still come by to collect some food. When the colleague arrived, he was let in, though the kitchen had already been cleaned.
After briefly stating he would leave, the visitor instead hid in the building.
Shortly afterwards, he let in another man – also among the accused – who also appeared in court on Tuesday to face manslaughter charges. According to the investigation, events that followed did not unfold as planned.
Two of the men, both young Senegalese nationals who remain in pre-trial detention, had allegedly conspired to steal cash from the restaurant’s safe, believing it could contain as much as €50,000. One, a 24-year-old, claimed he needed the money to pay rent and send support to his mother in Senegal.
The second, now 30, reportedly intended to pay €15,000 for a sham marriage in order to resolve his immigration status after his asylum application had been rejected. He had been living in Luxembourg under a false identity.
The two men hid inside the premises, thinking the building was empty. But, as one of them moved, he unexpectedly encountered the female colleague – later identified as the victim – a 46-year-old woman originally from Italy who had moved to Luxembourg in 2014. Despite the disguise of a face mask and hood, she appeared to recognise him and said his name.
The accused claimed he subsequently panicked and lost control, saying he no longer knew what he was doing.
What happened between 10.45pm and 11.55pm was largely captured by the restaurant’s surveillance cameras. The footage, now key evidence in the trial, shows the two men attacking the victim with a pair of pliers, striking her in the head at least ten times.
Her former colleague then proceeded to strangle her until she stopped breathing.
After the killing, the man, who knew the code to the safe, stole €3,000 in cash. In addition, they took €645 from the day’s earnings and €328 worth of meal vouchers.
That same night, the two men reportedly went out to a café and nightclub.
“You took a life, for almost nothing”, the presiding judge said pointedly. One of the accused responded with a silent nod.
In court, the defendants apologised to the judges and to the victim’s family. According to their testimony, the third man, who opened the door for one of the suspects, had no involvement in the crime itself.
The trial continues on Wednesday with testimony from the lead investigator of the Criminal Investigation Department (SPJ). The case is scheduled to last three days.
