Murder trial Fabian: Defendant ready for court questioning on 10 September
The 30-year-old defendant in the murder case of eight-year-old Fabian from Güstrow is willing to be questioned by the court. A prison psychologist painted a contradictory picture of the woman.
Turn in proceedings: Defendant allows questioning
A further surprise is emerging in the murder trial over the death of eight-year-old Fabian from Güstrow: the 30-year-old defendant, charged with murder, is willing to be questioned by the court. Her defence counsel Thomas Löcker announced this on the 25th day of the trial, as reported by n-tv. Only mid-last week, Löcker had rejected such questioning and stated that his client would not be able to last five minutes.
Löcker now declared that the defendant was "ready to answer questions", but pointed to the considerable strain this would place on her: the questioning would be "very, very taxing" for her. "She is making an effort to get through with it," he said. The court set the date for 10 September. The presiding judge Holger Schütt described the announcement as surprising and assured that due consideration would be given.
95-page statement, but no answers
Early last week, the defendant had read out a 95-page statement in which she denied the charges. She refused to respond to follow-up questions at that time. According to the prosecution, she is said to have stabbed Fabian on 10 October 2025 at a pond approximately 15 kilometres south of Güstrow. The defendant's relationship with Fabian's father and the temporary end of this relationship is considered to be the motive.
Prison psychologist: active, cheerful, but manipulative
On today's day of proceedings, the psychologist from the prison where the defendant has been held in remand custody since early November 2025 gave evidence. The expert painted a partly contradictory picture: essentially, the 30-year-old did not stand out negatively. She cooked, baked, played games and engaged in sport; since she had found social connections, she sometimes appeared cheerful.
At the same time, the psychologist reported manipulative tendencies. The defendant had attempted, through deliberate influence, to obtain more telephone calls and more contact with certain fellow inmates. "Of course she is concerned with her own advantage, particularly in custody," the psychologist said – however, such behaviour was largely understandable under these circumstances.
The defendant also repeatedly insisted to the psychologist that she was innocent. After court hearings, she engaged intensively with how she was being portrayed in the public eye. In conversation, she complained that people wanted to "pin something on her".
The defendant also reported to the psychologist hostility and threats from fellow inmates. The majority of prisoners avoided her or openly opposed her. The psychologist considered the existing diagnosis of a personality disorder with borderline symptoms to be plausible, but emphasised that she had not conducted an exhaustive diagnostic assessment – which she described as standard practice. The ongoing trial was increasingly placing a strain on the defendant: she was becoming more acutely aware of what the consequences of a possible conviction would be.
Voice messages: Bewilderment at public sympathy
Voice messages from the defendant were played again before the court. A few days after Fabian's body was found, she expressed bewilderment to an acquaintance: Fabian had not previously been a widely known child, suddenly all of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was mourning him. She did assert that she found the sympathy to be nice, but qualified this: when other children die or are abused, there is no such public attention. In another message, she said she would never do anything to harm the boy.
Large public memorial in Güstrow
The public response to Fabian's violent death was extraordinary. Hundreds of people gathered in St. Mary's Church in Güstrow; candles and soft toys were laid in front of the church. Banners with Fabian's name appeared throughout the town. At the home match of FC Hansa Rostock, there was a minute's silence, as the "Ostsee-Zeitung" reported at the time.
The trial has been running since 28 April. Until a final conviction, the presumption of innocence applies.
Source: n-tv