Fabian murder case: neighbour describes pre-arranged alibi and visit to body
A 58-year-old neighbour has made serious allegations against Gina H. in the Rostock murder trial: he was at the body before police arrived and is said to have arranged an alibi with her.
Neighbour was at Fabian's body before police – and agreed alibi
In the trial concerning the alleged murder of eight-year-old Fabian from Güstrow, a 58-year-old neighbour of the accused made severely damaging statements on Tuesday before the 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Rostock Regional Court. As ndr.de reports, the witness described how he was together with Gina H. at the pond near Klein Upahl (Rostock district) on that night – where the boy's body was officially discovered by police a day later. Both had stood beside the dead child.
When he shone a torch into her face, Gina H. was certain it was Fabian. She showed no emotional reaction. "Crying, screaming, shock?", the presiding judge asked. The witness's answer: "Nothing." Shortly afterwards that same night, she laughed – and explained that she had already cried so much that she could no longer do so.
Three times at the alleged crime scene – before official discovery
The visit with the neighbour was not Gina H.'s first trip to the pond. As early as that same evening, three days after Fabian's disappearance on 10 October 2025, the 30-year-old had been there with another acquaintance. As this person was not certain whether they had actually found Fabian, she subsequently took him to the pond, according to the neighbour. The following morning, Gina H. reported to police together with a friend that she had found the boy by chance during a walk. This friend is scheduled to be heard as a witness on Thursday.
The neighbour stated that although he was certain he had seen a dead person, he had not gone to the police. He had feared that nobody would believe him, and wanted to sleep on it overnight.
Alibi arranged for the time of the alleged crime
A further allegation carries particularly heavy weight: Gina H. is alleged to have deliberately agreed an alibi with the neighbour for those time periods during which, according to investigators, Fabian was killed on 10 October and his body was subsequently set on fire. The prosecutor emphasised that the accused arranged this alibi at a time when Fabian was still being searched for and his death was not yet known.
The witness explained that he could no longer remember the day in question and had therefore been grateful when Gina H. helped him recall the allegedly jointly spent hours. In the weeks before her arrest, she repeatedly pressed him to stick to the agreed story. "If you say something that doesn't fit, then they'll come and take me away", she is said to have told him.
Trainers and a missing knife
A few days after the body was found, Gina H. brought the neighbour four pairs of her trainers and asked him to set them aside. "They apparently should not be found at her place", the witness speculated, who at the time still hoped that she had nothing to do with the case. Shortly afterwards, he returned the shoes: "That was too hot for me." Shoe prints of this brand were also secured at the pond near Klein Upahl.
Furthermore, the neighbour was missing a knife from his shed. A joint search with Gina H. initially proved unsuccessful. After his lunch break, he found the knife in a toolbox that he had previously searched thoroughly – and reported the incident to police to cover himself. The blade is ten centimetres long; Fabian is said to have been stabbed with a knife of this size. However, no traces were found on the neighbour's knife.
Alibi crumbles, contact broken off
At some point, the neighbour changed his statement to police and corrected the times when he had been together with Gina H. He had increasingly noticed inconsistencies, and investigators had helped him along with their findings. When Gina H. was arrested, he broke off contact with her. "An arrest like that doesn't happen without reason", the witness justified his decision.
Background to the proceedings
Gina H. was the partner of Fabian's father for four years before he separated from her in August 2025. The prosecutor accuses her of insidious murder: she is alleged to have lured Fabian out of his mother's flat in Güstrow, stabbed him at Klein Upahl, and set his body on fire. Investigators suspect the motive was that Gina H. regarded the boy as an obstacle to a reconciliation with his father.
The accused has so far remained silent in court regarding the accusations. The trial began in April and is expected to continue until September.
Source: Google News DE — Crime (de)