Magdeburg (dpa / sa) – Was it manslaughter or murder? The district court of Magdeburg has to clarify this question in a new edition of the trial surrounding the death of a hotelier from Osterweddingen (Börde district). Since Monday, the juvenile court has been negotiating again against two 22 and 24-year-old men who have already been convicted. In September 2021, the regional court had imposed a youth sentence of 6 years and 10 months and a prison sentence of 7 years and 10 months for manslaughter. The Federal Court of Justice partially overturned the judgment due to revisions. Accordingly, it is certain that the accused killed their victim intentionally and that there was manslaughter. The district court must now examine whether there is a murder.
Last year, the verdict found that the two young men beat the hotelier to death in October 2020. Both had been found to have high blood alcohol levels.
According to the court’s findings, in the early morning of October 16, the men had parked their car in a hotel parking lot in Osterweddingen. After getting out, they stepped on a wooden fence and knocked off the mirror of another car. Because of the loud music from the car, the hotelier’s wife woke up and woke her husband. He then went downstairs and confronted the rioters. The two attacked the 58-year-old, grabbing him in a wrestling hold, punching and kicking the victim’s head. Among other things, the hotelier suffered brain swelling, vomited and choked on the contents of his stomach.
The regional court has scheduled further hearing days on December 12, 19 and 20 for the new edition of the process.
