German husband acquitted of wife's murder, court cites probable suicide

A Cologne court has acquitted a 63-year-old man of the charge of murdering his 58-year-old wife in 2021. The regional court found no concrete evidence to support the prosecution's claim that he drugged her with sleeping pills and drowned her in a bathtub.

Instead, the court concluded that suicide was the most likely cause of death for the woman, who had been suffering from severe chronic pain for years. The presiding judge stated that the court could not definitively determine the exact events of the morning of her death.

Evidence presented, including two forensic reports, indicated that hematomas on the woman's arms were likely sustained while her lifeless body was being removed from the bathtub, not from a struggle. The court also noted that the accused could not have administered the bitter-tasting sleeping pills without his wife's awareness. The man, who had denied the allegations throughout the investigation and trial, was awarded compensation for his period of pre-trial detention.