The murder trial against a Dommeldange man entered its second day on Thursday. The defendant is accused of strangling his wife in 2023 and concealing her body in the woods near Scheidgen.
While admitting to the act, he contested the charge of premeditated murder. On the trial’s opening day, he told the judges of the 13th Criminal Chamber that the killing was not planned. When he began to cry, the presiding judge intervened, stating, “That won’t work here”, and referenced the psychological reports.
Those reports were presented Thursday afternoon. During his assessment, the 66-year-old defendant described himself as an “average Joe” who valued an orderly life and routine. He expressed pride in his 40-year marriage, claiming the couple never argued but acknowledging a growing distance over the past 12 years. He testified that his “world fell apart” when his wife declared she was leaving him for a new partner.
He repeatedly stressed to the psychiatrist an overwhelming fear of being alone. While claiming he was not jealous of his wife’s new partner, he stated the prospect of solitude was “unacceptable”. The psychiatrist noted the defendant’s tendency to trivialise events, quoting him as saying, “It’s terrible what happened, but it could happen to anyone.” His expressions of remorse were consistently self-referential. For instance, he stated he was sorry that he was now alone.
Both the psychiatrist and, the day prior, police investigators, ruled out a crime of passion. The court heard that the defendant punched his wife in the face before strangling her. The judge specified the strangulation must have lasted at least three minutes, after which the man checked the victim’s pulse. That night, he transported the body to the woods. The following morning, he drove his wife’s car to her workplace in Echternach and returned home by bus – an act he claimed was “to get one over on her”, though police believe it was to cover his tracks.
One of the psychological reports indicated that the defendant possesses only a limited capacity for self-reflection, which significantly restricts the possibilities for treatment. The two psychologists who authored the report could not rule out the risk that he might act in the same or a similar manner if faced with a comparable situation in the future.
This assessment aligns with the observations of the police commissioner, who presented his report on Wednesday. He noted the man displayed a notable lack of emotional reaction throughout the investigation. Upon the police’s arrival at his home for a search, he exhibited a calmness deemed “inappropriate for the situation”.
During questioning, he remained consistently composed and had an answer prepared for every query. According to police, the only observable reactions were when he was shown a text message from his wife to her new partner, and when he briefly cried while calling his daughter after he had confessed the murder to the police – though officers noted he quickly wiped his tears away.
When questioned by police about his motive, the defendant stated: “I haven’t even thought about it, I don’t know. It was all the frustration. My wife behaved in a way one shouldn’t.” Confronted with the fact that he had purchased gloves and materials from a hardware shop prior to the crime – items later used to wrap the body – he explained he had done so with the thought, “in case I ever do something stupid”, lingering in the back of his mind.
The trial will resume on Friday morning.
