Murder trial of Fabian (8): Defendant Gina H. makes first statement on murder allegations
In the murder trial at Rostock Regional Court, 30-year-old Gina H. addressed the death of eight-year-old Fabian from Güstrow for the first time on Monday.
Gina H. addresses blood traces, alibi agreement and body discovery
At Rostock Regional Court, 30-year-old Gina H. made her first public statement on Monday regarding the murder allegations against her. According to 20 Minuten, she is accused of killing eight-year-old Fabian in October 2025 – the son of her then ex-partner Matthias R.
At the end of her testimony, the defendant said: "If I had murdered him, I would certainly have felt as though I was killing my own child."
Blood on kitchen roll and the cleaned car
Blood from the eight-year-old was found in Gina H.'s car on a piece of kitchen roll. The defendant explained this discovery by reference to an incident on 12 August 2025: Fabian had suffered a "slight cut on his foot" while bathing at a lake, whereupon she had "dabbed the tiny wound" with the piece of kitchen paper.
She had cleaned the car on the day of the alleged crime because an acquaintance had been teasing her for some time that "it was high time she did so". No cleaning fluids had been used in the process.
A Google search for the question "Do wild boars eat dead people?" was explained by Gina H. as stemming from a conversation with the same acquaintance, in which she had expressed concern for Fabian.
Mutual alibi and the night at the pond
Gina H. admitted that she and her neighbour Olaf K. had given each other a mutual alibi. She left unclear why. Before this agreement, she is said to have led Olaf K. to Fabian's body.
The defendant describes the day Fabian went missing as follows: she had driven to a forest near Klein Upahl with her dog so that she could "think things over on a longer walk" after a row with Matthias R. She had switched off her mobile telephone in order not to be distracted. That she might have passed the pond on the way back, where Fabian's body was later found, she had "certainly not noticed".
Three days after Fabian went missing, Gina H. drove to Klein Upahl with her acquaintance Christian D., allegedly to "observe animals". Because there had been speculation online about Fabian's whereabouts, the two of them wanted to search for the child there at the same time. Christian D. had "simply of his own accord" stopped at the pond – it was not her idea. Equipped with night-vision equipment and thermal imaging camera, Christian D. suddenly declared that he could see something that looked like a burnt doll.
"I was already certain at that moment that we had found Fabian. I know for sure that I said we should call the police now. He urged me earnestly not to. And I had the feeling that this big, strong man was about to cry," Gina H. told the court.
Relationship with Fabian and the family
At the time of the alleged crime, Gina H. and Matthias R. were separated. After Fabian's death, the two grew closer again and are now a couple once more. Gina H. explained that they have known each other since school; Fabian had been with them weekly.
There had been repeated arguments and physical altercations in the relationship. "That was the reason Fabian lost respect for his father," the defendant said. The separation in August 2025 had been "surprising".
Regarding Fabian, she described their relationship as close. Anyone could confirm that they "had a very good relationship with each other". She had always treated him as if he were her own son. "I had the feeling that he often felt lonely and his mobile phone was his best friend. He weighed more than many of his other classmates and was not as sociable either."
A neighbour had testified as a witness that Gina H. always prioritised her horses over the children. The defendant denied this: "That is not true and it also hurts me. You cannot directly compare the two." For her biological son, she felt "a much more intense love than for my horses".
Difficult childhood and family background
In court, Gina H. also described her background. Her grandmother had said that her mother had not loved her and had preferred to look after her "numerous men". Her mother was also supposed to have been drug-dependent; the rumour in the village had instead spread that she had contracted cancer.
The defendant described her relationship with her sister as difficult. Her sister had "taken away the few friends I had". She may have been envious of her sister because the latter "was good at school, had friends and was much prettier".
Gina H. described her horses as a particular source of support: "Horses give me a comfort that I find in no person." Her mare Tiffy, a gift from her grandparents, had been "like my best friend" – patient and a place where she could find peace.
Source: 20 Minuten