Baden District Court finds 49-year-old guilty of murder
Published: Friday, Jun 14th 2024, 15:20
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On Friday, the District Court of Baden found a 49-year-old man guilty of murdering his wife. He was given a prison sentence of 17 years. The verdict is not yet final.
The man drowned his 41-year-old wife in the bathtub in the family home in Bergdietikon AG in the early hours of September 25, 2022. According to the accused, the crime was triggered by a cell phone photo of his wife having sex with another man.
The Swiss man confessed to the crime, but claimed that he had acted in the heat of passion. The central issue in court was the classification of the crime as manslaughter, intentional homicide or murder. Depending on the classification, the law provides for very different penalties.
The court now judged the crime to be murder, which requires, among other things, particular ruthlessness or cruelty. It thus followed the prosecutor's request, who had demanded 18 years. The defense lawyer had requested that the crime be classified as manslaughter and a sentence of eight years. The verdict can be appealed to the High Court of the Canton of Aargau.
Drowned in a bathtub
On the night of the crime, the accused had, according to his account, seen the clear picture on his wife's cell phone in the bathroom. The woman, who was standing in the bathtub taking a shower, wanted to take the phone away from him. A scuffle ensued.
The two of them plunged into the half-full bathtub. He pushed her head under the water until she stopped moving. He then made sure that the situation suggested suicide. However, the forensic examination revealed that the woman had been strangled and drowned.
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