Berlin trial examines whether a woman's death was suicide or killing by request
A 42-year-old man is on trial in Berlin for killing a 35-year-old woman at her request in 2020. The case came to light only after an anonymous tip four years later. Police had initially treated the death as a suicide due to the victim’s history of severe depression. The incident took place on May 30, 2020, in the woman’s Berlin-Treptow apartment. The defendant admitted in court to placing her in a chokehold after she repeatedly asked him to end her life. The two had met in a self-help group in 2015, and he had previously tried to persuade her against taking her own life.
At the scene, investigators found a farewell letter, multiple medications, and €2,500 in cash. The apartment appeared tidy, with no signs of a struggle or defensive wounds. This led police to initially conclude the death was a suicide by overdose.
The case remained closed until an anonymous tip in 2024 prompted a re-examination. The trial began recently and is set to run for four more days, with a verdict expected on May 21. The defendant faces charges related to the woman’s death, which he claims was carried out at her explicit request. The trial will determine whether the killing was assisted suicide or a criminal act. The outcome may also influence how similar cases involving severe mental illness are handled in the future.
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