A man in Munich has been sentenced to life in prison for the attempted murder of his estranged wife, causing her more than 20 stab wounds.
The Munich Regional Court found it proven that the 34-year-old stabbed his wife in broad daylight near a playground in April 2025, in the presence of their son, albinfo.ch reports. According to the court, the woman survived only thanks to an almost eight-hour emergency operation, despite life-threatening injuries to multiple organs.
Presiding judge Elisabeth Ehrl said that as a panel they saw no reason to impose a lighter sentence on the accused. Although the 34-year-old had essentially admitted to the attack, Ehrl, however, considered his statement to be an understatement, writes dpa.de. She said it was absurd that she had provided the knife solely as a means of intimidation. Instead, the court concluded that it was a premeditated murder attempt motivated by base motives.
The decision is not yet legally binding. Both the defense and the prosecution have one week to appeal to the Federal Court of Justice.
The attack occurred shortly before a scheduled divorce hearing.
The court stated that the Kosovar man's motive was his unwillingness to accept his wife's desire to separate.
Moreover, he was angered by the fact that his wife, also Kosovar, had repeatedly reported repeated domestic violence against her, including during her pregnancies, albinfo.ch reports. The court also considered the fact that the shared apartment and custody of the children would have gone to his wife in the event of a divorce as a motive for the attack – which occurred two days before the scheduled divorce hearing.
. , … Judge Ehrl explained that the court sentenced him to life imprisonment despite his expressions of remorse, in part because the victim survived only thanks to the extraordinary work of doctors – a miracle, she said. The attack was carried out with a high degree of criminal intensity, and the woman continues to suffer from severe physical and psychological consequences.
The fact that the man stabbed her on a playground in front of their son also played a role in the decision.
“Dad, what have you done?”
Judge Ehrl asked the defendant to use his time in prison to reflect on the consequences of his actions. She emphasized that this was not only about his victim, but also about his son, who had to see his mother covered in blood.
During the trial, the defendant described how the moment he realized his son was standing next to him and asking, “Dad, what have you done?” was etched in his memory. He said it had deeply affected him.
After the attack, the man called his mother, told her, "It's over," and took a photo of the injured woman. Only the police, with their guns drawn, managed to force him to put down the knife.
Victim: Fear of ex-husband's family
The now-divorced woman, who appeared as a co-plaintiff, gave her testimony in court via video link and behind closed doors at her request. According to the prosecution, the ex-wife is still afraid of the defendant's family, reports lbinfo.ch. Judge Ehrl therefore appealed to the man's relatives, who were in the courtroom for the verdict, to show compassion and leave the woman alone./albinfo/
