Childless German Couple Murdered Ukrainian Refugee For Her Baby, Admit To Crime In Court
The accused, a 44-year-old German woman and her 43-year-old husband, are alleged to have killed the 27-year-old Ukrainian refugee and her 51-year-old mother in March.
Germany News: A German couple has been charged with the murder of a Ukrainian refugee and her mother, as well as the kidnapping of the refugee's newborn daughter, whom the couple allegedly planned to pass off as their own child. The charges were announced on Tuesday in a Mannheim court, news agency AFP reported.
The accused, a 44-year-old German woman and her 43-year-old husband, are alleged to have killed the 27-year-old Ukrainian refugee and her 51-year-old mother in March. Prosecutors revealed that the couple's motive stemmed from a "long-unfulfilled wish to have a daughter".
According to a DW report, the couple confessed to the killings because they wanted to take the 27-year-old's baby. The prosecutors' statement detailed a chilling series of events, starting with the couple's plan to kidnap a newborn baby and claim her as their own.
Couple Joined Telegram Group To Trap The Victims
To execute their scheme, the 44-year-old woman reportedly joined a Telegram group aimed at providing support to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. Through the group, the couple connected with the Ukrainian refugee, who was seeking translation assistance before the birth of her child earlier this year, the AFP report said.
According to the prosecution, the two families met in March for a meal at a restaurant, during which the German couple allegedly spiked the drinks of the Ukrainian woman and her mother with sedatives. When the 51-year-old woman fell ill, the German couple offered to drive her to the hospital while also promising to take the younger woman and her newborn daughter home.
However, according to prosecutors, the German man instead drove the older woman to a fishing lake, where he struck her at least four times with an unidentified object before disposing of her body in the water. The couple then deceived the younger Ukrainian woman, telling her that her mother had suffered a heart attack and was in hospital.
They drove the 27-year-old and her infant daughter to a secluded area near the Rhine River in Hockenheim, the report said. Still under the effects of the sedatives, the young mother was killed with "at least three" blows to the head. Prosecutors allege the couple then set her body on fire before leaving with her newborn daughter.
The couple is currently in custody pending trial and faces charges of double murder, with one count linked to the abduction of a minor.
Authorities described the crime as a calculated and brutal act, rooted in the couple's desperation to fulfill their wish for a child.
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