The Baden AG District Court examines whether a fatal domestic incident constitutes murder, with the accused citing emotional turmoil as a defense.

In the murder trial before the District Court of Baden AG on Wednesday, the central issue was the classification of the crime. The public prosecutor classifies it as murder. The accused claims to have acted in a maelstrom of emotions.

It is undisputed that a 41-year-old woman was killed by her husband in Bergdietikon AG on September 25, 2022. Whether the crime was murder, intentional homicide, or manslaughter was the focus of the hearing. The classification is decisive for the sentence, with prison terms ranging from one year to life imprisonment.

The 49-year-old defendant admitted to killing his wife but denied it was murder. He claimed he was “overwhelmed by emotions” after seeing a photo of his wife with another man. He had been unaware of the affair and contradicted witness statements.

The couple, of Albanian origin, had reversed traditional roles: the wife was a successful economist and breadwinner, while the husband managed the household. He described their marriage as harmonious but admitted to monitoring her via a cell phone tracker and cameras, claiming concern for her safety.

A psychiatric expert testified that the man was fully culpable at the time of the crime, acting out of jealousy rather than a “storm of emotion.” The prosecutor argued the crime was motivated by jealousy, revenge, and financial interests, as the husband stood to gain millions if his wife died by suicide or accident. After the killing, he staged the scene to appear as a suicide and requested an 18-year prison sentence.

The defendant described a fight over the cell phone photo in the bathroom, leading to both falling into a bathtub full of water. He pushed his wife underwater until she stopped moving, then staged the scene with a hairdryer to fake a suicide. Emergency services initially believed it was a suicide or accident, but a post-mortem revealed signs of violence, strangulation, and drowning.

The trial continues on Thursday, with the defense counsel’s plea and the verdict expected on Friday.

©Keystone/SDA