Ulm: Trial over fatal attack on electronics retailer
A 30-year-old man from East Africa is standing trial at Ulm Regional Court, accused of inflicting life-threatening injuries on a MediaMarkt shop assistant with a knife.
Ulm: Trial over fatal attack on electronics retailer
At Ulm Regional Court, a 30-year-old man from Eritrea is facing charges for a brutal attack at an electronics shop. The defendant admits to attacking a shop assistant with a kitchen knife on 14 January in Ulm.
According to prosecutors, the man crept up on the 25-year-old employee from behind. He stabbed him with a 20-centimetre blade first in the side, then in the skull, twice in the abdomen and again in the head. When the young man collapsed and put his hands to his face, the attacker turned his attention to two other staff members and injured them as well.
The perpetrator then returned to his first victim. He attempted to drive the weapon into the head again. As the tip of the blade was now bent, he could not penetrate to full depth. In total, he made eight stabbing attempts on the shop assistant lying on the ground. According to the charges, he believed the victim would soon bleed to death and subsequently fled. Two officers then shot him on the street.
The man, who has lived in Germany since 2017, stated that he had had bad experiences with mobile phone salespeople. He said he did not care who he took his anger out on.
Shortly before the attack, the defendant had been released from a prison sentence for dangerous bodily harm. In an asylum accommodation facility in Neu-Ulm, he had attacked a fellow resident with a broken glass bottle.
The defence lawyer emphasised that his client was ashamed of the act. The shop assistant had to undergo emergency surgery and was resuscitated several times. He remained in an induced coma for twelve days.
The court plans to announce its verdict on 12 August. The defendant faces a possible life sentence with subsequent preventive detention.
Source: BILD