Murder trial against 79-year-old grandfather in Winterthur court
Published: Tuesday, Jan 9th 2024, 04:40
Volver a Live Feed
The Winterthur District Court is opening a three-day murder trial today: a 79-year-old grandfather from Serbia is alleged to have shot his grandson's 32-year-old wife - because she wanted a divorce.
In its indictment, the public prosecutor describes the murder of the mother of three as an "outright execution" and accuses the accused of "particularly unscrupulous" actions. With an "excessive will to destroy" and out of "blatant selfishness", he killed the woman simply because he felt her behavior violated his values and his family's honor.
The pensioner - with a revolver and ammunition in his luggage - entered Switzerland on February 13, 2021. Three days later, he visited the woman in her apartment in Winterthur without prior notice. After she had served him a coffee, he locked the door, grabbed the gun and shot her with six well-aimed shots.
The victim and the accused's grandson had been married since the end of 2007 and had three children. However, according to the indictment, the marriage was full of conflict. In 2020, the woman traveled from Serbia to Switzerland without the family's consent, settled in Winterthur and filed for divorce. Her husband was unable to join her for the time being due to an entry ban.
The prosecution is demanding a life sentence for the defendant and a subsequent ten-year deportation order. The defense's motions will become known in the course of the trial. In the run-up to the trial, the defense questioned whether the 79-year-old was fit to stand trial and whether the proceedings could be carried out at all.
According to an expert opinion from last December, the grandfather has slight cognitive deficits but is able to follow a hearing. The district court wants to take the man's existing health restrictions into account by taking sufficient breaks and interruptions.
©Keystone/SDA
Spanish 
English 
German 
French 
Arabic