Man convicted of attempted murder of his wife
Published: Friday, Nov 3rd 2023, 13:10
Updated At: Saturday, Nov 4th 2023, 00:54
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A 55-year-old man has been sentenced to 12 years and 3 months in prison by the criminal court in La Chaux-de-Fonds NE for the attempted murder of his wife. He had abducted his separated wife in 2022 and deliberately crashed the car over a cliff. Both survived the fall seriously injured.
"The defendant's guilt is serious and the manner in which he acted is atrocious," said court president Alain Rufener at the sentencing on Friday. However, the court did not assume attempted murder, but only attempted murder.
The motive was selfish, but there were no real preparatory acts and no methodical behavior, the judges ruled. The court did not order custody.
The public prosecutor's office had demanded an unconditional prison sentence of 14 years and seven months for the 55-year-old as well as custody due to the very high risk of recidivism. "He has no awareness of the seriousness of his actions, no empathy towards the victim and is impervious to any treatment," explained Deputy Attorney General Nicolas Aubert.
"When he gets out of prison, he will want to kill me. I will have to flee, I will no longer be safe," explained the 53-year-old victim. The woman has suffered numerous physical and psychological consequences since the crime in February 2022.
Therapy instead of custody
The court ordered institutional therapy for the man instead of custody. "The defendant did not show any sincere regret and tried to deny his guilt," explained the court president. "But even if the therapeutic prospects are a long way off, they are not non-existent," he added.
The court also reduced the culpability of the accused, who suffered from severe depression, by a quarter. According to a psychiatric report, the defendant was "in a state of extreme jealousy" at the time of the crime, which partially impaired his judgment.
According to his defense lawyer, the accused also believed that his wife was cheating on him. He was also convinced that he had become the victim of a witchcraft spell because his wife had called in a fortune teller.
Threats, coercion and violence
The rapes, which were denied by the defense, were acknowledged by the court. "The plaintiff's statements are clear and measured," explained the court president. As the defendant suspected his wife of adultery, "he multiplied the sexual acts, more out of provocation than out of love".
The court also found threats and coercion. The acts of violence were repeated and the defendant "went so far as to monitor his wife at her workplace".
The case had shaken up the canton because the defendant had attacked his wife on February 15, 2022, although he had been banned from the area due to an outbreak of violence a few days earlier. The authorities considered the protective measures to be sufficient. At the time of the crime, the victim was living with her younger son at her older son's house.
During the hearing, the 55-year-old said: "I thought, if I have to die, the person I love has to die with me". He waited for his wife with a knife to abduct her by force. As one of his sons was present, he injured him with the knife.
Miraculously survived
The defendant then attempted to kill himself and his wife by driving his car over a cliff into the abyss at Les Roches-de-Moron, a viewpoint overlooking the Doubs. The car fell 135 meters and came to a halt through some trees on a lower level.
According to the police and the public prosecutor, it is "a miracle" that the victim and the accused escaped with their lives.
The defendant must also pay his ex-wife compensation for non-material damage in the amount of 70,000 francs. The victim's lawyer had demanded 150,000 francs.
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