The defendant is suspected of having poisoned his sister and the latter's husband with cyanide in Bereldange in 2016. During a hearing on Tuesday, the former policeman's attorney told the court that his client did not intend to kill his sister and brother-in-law when he ordered the poison on the dark web. According to attorney Rosario Grasso, the defendant's intentions were not to kill the two individuals. He also stressed that his client has never denied responsibility for the incident.
The attorney conceded that his client must pay for the harm he has caused. At the same time, Grasso stressed that, just because his client is described as being unscrupulous, these descriptions do not necessarily prove intent and lack of scruples.
The court heard how the defendant wanted to purchase botulinum toxin on the dark web. He was allegedly not aware of the fact that he received cyanide instead. The attorney stated that his client knew that botulinum toxin can also be deadly but never intended to kill his sister and brother-in-law. Grasso underlined that other people whom his client had also poisoned did not pass away. He also explained that his client was not living beyond his means and that he was financially comfortable, which, according to the attorney, contradicts the hypothesis that the former policeman had hoped to secure an inheritance after the death of his sister. He concluded that his client should not be found guilty of premeditated murder but of administering substances that led to death.
At the beginning of the hearing, the defendant stated that the fateful decision to poison his sister and her partner was a slow process rather than spontaneous. The lawyers of the brother-in-law's family demanded €700,000 in damages. The attorney of the victim's parents said that homicide by poisoning was "a most cowardly act."
The court case is set to come to an end this Wednesday.
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