District Court Baden: According to forensic medicine, victim was drowned
Published: Tuesday, Jun 11th 2024, 15:40
Back to Live Feed
In the trial for the murder of a 41-year-old woman in Bergdietikon AG in September 2022, the forensic expert, among others, spoke on Tuesday. The woman had drowned in the bathtub. The accused will be questioned on Wednesday.
As the forensic pathologist explained in court, the injuries on the body indicated that the woman had been forcibly drowned. There were no indications of an electric shock. According to the indictment, the accused had thrown a hairdryer into the bathtub after his wife's death in order to fake a suicide. The injuries were not consistent with such a suicide.
The accused also showed injuries after the crime. The forensic pathologist found scratch marks and bruises in places and in a manner typical of defensive injuries. The woman must have fought back violently. The Swiss man with Albanian-Macedonian roots has confessed to killing his wife. The 49-year-old is currently serving an early sentence.
"He's still my brother"
On the second day of the trial, the accused's sister was questioned as a witness. She said that the two families had got on well together. After the crime, contact was broken off. Her relationship with her brother had also changed since the crime - "but he is still my brother".
She had not noticed any change in him before the crime. At a meeting two weeks before the crime, she had the impression that he and his wife were doing well together. After the crime, she reproached herself for not noticing any problems.
Contract three days before the crime
Another witness questioned was a lawyer who drew up a marriage and inheritance contract for the accused and the later victim. The contract was notarized three days before the 41-year-old's death.
He had originally been commissioned by the couple to draw up a pension agreement, said the lawyer. In this context, he suggested that they also draw up a marriage and inheritance contract.
The contracts were a topic at the hearing, as the public prosecutor was of the opinion that they played a role in the homicide: In the event of the woman's suicide, the man would have been entitled to 1.8 million francs.
Work colleague as confidant
One of the woman's work colleagues, who she said was a person of trust for her, said that from what she had told him, she had greatly appreciated the fact that the accused was a househusband. This had enabled her to make a career as a business expert herself. "She looked up to him," said the witness.
As far as he knew, the couple had got on well, although they had been separated for a long time and only lived together for the sake of the children. The woman had not wanted her marriage to be perceived as a failure. Her cultural background as a Kosovo Albanian had probably played a role in this, but also her professional position.
In the time before the crime, she had seemed burdened to him. She had felt controlled by the accused. However, the colleague did not have the impression that she was afraid of him. The witness only found out in the courtroom that the woman had had an extramarital affair - with his brother, of all people.
"Acted out of jealousy"
According to the indictment, there was a violent argument between the accused and his wife on September 25, 2022. In the course of the argument, he strangled her, pushed her under water in the bathtub and drowned her.
According to the indictment, the man acted out of jealousy because of the woman's extramarital relationship. The prosecutor demands an 18-year prison sentence for murder. The defense announces its motions later.
The trial will continue on Wednesday with the questioning of the accused and the statements of the psychiatrist. The parties will then begin their pleadings. The verdict will be opened on Friday at the earliest.
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic