The murder trial of a man from Dommeldange continued on Friday with its third day of hearings. The defendant is accused of strangling his wife in September 2023 and hiding her body in the woods near Scheidgen.
On Friday morning, the son and the defendant’s brother were heard in court. Both witnesses painted a favourable picture of the defendant and the couple’s overall relationship.
“He was and still is a good man”, the defendant’s brother told the court, saying that he was not authoritarian in any way. According to the brother, the defendant loved his wife very much and they worked well as a team.
“I truly believe he regrets killing my mum”, said the son of the 66-year-old defendant, further describing the accused as a simple man who was kind, helpful, and laughed a lot. He added that his father had never been aggressive towards him, his sister, or their mother.
It therefore came as a shock to him when he learned that his mother wanted to leave his father for another man. He said it came completely out of the blue. The children were meant to discuss the situation with their parents the day after their mother was killed.
During the night from Thursday to Friday, the father strangled his wife and hid her body. The following day, he went to the police with his two children to file a missing person report. He did not confess to the crime until Tuesday, 3 October.
Until then, the father had not shown any signs of what really happened, his son told the court. The brother said there had been no indication whatsoever that the accused was capable of such an act or that the woman was in danger.
Both witnesses said they remain in regular contact with the accused and emphasised that they genuinely believe he feels remorse.
However, this contrasts the findings of psychological evaluations, which suggest that when the accused spoke of regret, it was always towards himself. Among the cited examples was a statement in which he expressed feeling regretful about being alone.
The brother nevertheless stated that the accused is slowly becoming aware of what has happened and of the damage he has caused to his own life, his children’s lives, and his wife’s family.
The trial is scheduled to continue on 27 January.
