The public prosecutor's office in Trier has brought murder and manslaughter charges against a 19-year-old man from the Eifel region. He is alleged to have fatally stabbed his father, stepmother, and stepsister in Cape Verde.
On Wednesday, 17 December 2025, the four of them flew to the island of São Vicente in Cape Verde together for a joint holiday. The fatal incident occurred at the holiday home in the early hours of Tuesday, 23 December. The defendant allegedly stabbed his stepsister several times in the neck with a knife while she was asleep. As the victim was unable to defend herself, the public prosecutor's office considers the criteria for murder to have been met.
Subsequently, the 19-year-old man reportedly attacked his father and his father's partner. A fight broke out, during which both victims sustained fatal injuries. After the incident, the defendant took a taxi to the airport and flew to Lisbon. He was arrested on the basis of a European Arrest Warrant issued by the Public Prosecutor's Office in Trier and extradited to Germany on Wednesday, 14 January 2026. He has been in pre-trial detention ever since. As he was 19 years old at the time of the offence, the case was heard by the Youth Chamber of the Trier Regional Court.
To date, the accused has made no comment about the incident, and the motive remains unclear.
