The murder occurred in March of 2022, only a few days after the victim had fled Ukraine with her family to settle in Merzig, Germany.
According to judge Petra Schmitz, the motive was jealousy as the man believed that the woman was in contact with several other men at the time: “He took that as an act of betrayal.”
The man allegedly let the shower in the hotel room run and then surprised his victim while she was lying on the bed. He first pressed her head against the mattress, choked her, and eventually strangled her to death with a sheet.
After the deed, the 35-year-old placed the body under the bed, where cleaning staff later discovered the woman. In the meantime, the perpetrator took a train in the direction of Bavaria.
According to the judge, both had long conducted a “non-committal relationship limited to sexual relations”.
The man admitted to the murder over the course of the investigation. However, with his last utterance in court, he revoked the admission of guilt.
“There is no doubt that he killed her”, concluded judge Schmitz on the final day of trial, which ended with a life sentence for the defendant.
