Trial in Zurich Man allegedly strangled subtenant and desecrated corpse
A 40-year-old man allegedly killed his subtenant and desecrated her body in Zurich in 2016. The accused is appearing before the Zurich High Court for the third time in this case this Thursday.
20.06.2024, 05:06
20.06.2024, 09:02
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- A 40-year-old man allegedly killed his subtenant in Zurich in 2016 and desecrated her body.
- This Thursday, the accused is appearing before the Zurich High Court for the third time in this case.
- The proceedings have been dragging on for almost eight years without a legally binding verdict.
- Procedural errors and ambiguities have led to delays.
- The accused has been in prison since the crime.
According to the indictment, on September 20, 2016, the man put his 28-year-old subtenant in a "headlock" in his apartment and squeezed her so tightly that she died. Afterwards, the man violated the corpse and draped a skipping rope over her. This was intended to give the impression that the woman had collapsed while exercising.
The proceedings have been dragging on for almost eight years without a legally binding verdict. Procedural errors and ambiguities have led to delays. The accused has been in prison since the crime.
Guilty or not?
The Zurich District Court convicted the Swiss man for the first time in 2018. It found him not guilty of murder. However, he was found guilty of the desecration of the corpse. It sentenced him to 22 months' imprisonment. The High Court confirmed the sentence.
However, the Federal Supreme Court criticized gross procedural errors - it was unacceptable to determine the man's culpability differently for the two offences. It therefore sent the case back to the public prosecutor's office.
In May 2022, a different panel of judges at the district court sentenced the defendant to 13.5 years' imprisonment for intentional homicide and disturbing the peace of the dead. The prosecution and defense both appealed the sentence.
The public prosecutor's office demanded a prison sentence of 18.5 years and custody. Although the accused confessed, he denied any intention to kill. The defense claimed a "tragic accident" and requested a 24-month prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter, or manslaughter at most.
Psychiatric report completed
On September 1, 2023, the case was heard for thesecond time at the Zurich High Court. However, the court did not feel able to reach a verdict at the time. The man's mental state was too unclear. The court ordered a supplement to the expert opinion. This is now available so that the High Court can decide.