Loud outburst by the accused at the Zurich High Court

The Swiss man is accused of strangling his subtenant in a dispute in September 2016 and then assaulting her body. He has confessed.

An initial expert opinion diagnosed schizophrenia. Both the District Court of Zurich and the Cantonal High Court classified the accused as incompetent for the homicide, but guilty for the desecration of the corpse. The Federal Supreme Court criticized this as a gross procedural error and dismissed the case.

On the basis of a second expert opinion, the district court declared the man guilty of both offenses and sentenced him to 13.5 years imprisonment. In September 2023, the High Court demanded more clarity regarding his mental state and ordered a supplementary expert opinion.

This time, the defendant was willing to talk to the psychiatrist. The diagnosis of schizophrenia was denied. There was a suspicion of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD for short. The risk of further acts of violence was moderate to significant.

Positive image refuted

He was doing much better with the appropriate medication, said the defense lawyer. Her client had become much calmer and more in control. He no longer flies off the handle so easily.

Shortly afterwards, the defendant made a mockery of these statements. He loudly interrupted the public prosecutor, insulting him as a monster and a liar.

The two police officers accompanying him prepared to intervene. The defense lawyer and the presiding judge tried to calm him down, but to no avail. He would "not let himself be oppressed by such lies" lamented the man.

After a few minutes, the outburst was over. After a short break, the trial continued. The verdict is scheduled to be delivered on Thursday evening.