BGH confirms life sentence for alleged alternative practitioner for murdering wife with antidepressant

Leipzig/Karlsruhe. The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) announced on Tuesday that it had upheld the life sentence for a supposed alternative medicine practitioner from Schleswig-Holstein who murdered his wife with an overdose of an antidepressant. Because two elements of murder, namely treachery and greed, were met, the 5th Federal Court of Justice Criminal Senate in Leipzig also confirmed the particularly serious nature of the crime, which precludes release from prison sooner than 15 years.

The wife of the alleged alternative practitioner suffered from multiple sclerosis and was in need of care. According to the findings of the Flensburg Regional Court, he administered an overdose of an antidepressant without her knowledge in order to kill her. She died four days later. Meanwhile, he had attempted to accelerate the dying process by stabbing her in the abdomen. To fake a failed double suicide, he also took a significantly lower dose of the drug himself and inflicted largely harmless knife wounds on himself.

The district court found that the man wanted to prevent his wife from learning about extramarital sexual relations and that, as a supposed alternative practitioner, he had performed sexual acts on "patients" and, in some cases, taken nude photographs without their knowledge. After a house search, he also feared for his financial existence and his inheritance.

The regional court considered the administration of the antidepressant to be treachery and also considered greed to be a further characteristic of murder. After reviewing the verdict, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) followed suit. Against this backdrop, the Leipzig Criminal Senate also had no reservations about the finding of particularly serious guilt. (mwo)