Femicide in Tétange: 61-year-old man strangles his wife, tried for murder
José strangled his wife Jamila in Tétange during the night of 15 to 16 February 2025, before attempting to take his own life. He is being tried for murder and assassination.
Tétange: José strangles Jamila, then attempts to end his life on Red Bridge
In the night of Saturday 15 to Sunday 16 February 2025, around 3 o'clock in the morning, two passersby stopped a man on Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, known as Red Bridge, preventing him from jumping. A few hours earlier, this 61-year-old man, named José, had strangled his wife Jamila at their home on rue de Rumelange in Tétange. He had also ingested drain cleaner in an attempt at suicide. This is what Le Quotidien reports, following the trial.
Spontaneous confessions to passersby, key handed to police
José had confessed his actions to the two passersby who rescued him on the bridge. Transported to hospital, he proved cooperative with investigators and handed them the key to his flat himself. A chief inspector of the police, dispatched to Boulevard John-Fitzgerald-Kennedy in Kirchberg, described a man whose "entire body was trembling" and whose car was parked on the cycle path. It was via the radio that the officer learned that it could be a homicide.
Inside the home, officers discovered the body of Jamila lying next to the conjugal bed. A candle was lit. A bottle of drain cleaner was found in the kitchen. The medical examiner noted defensive wounds on the victim.
Jealousy fuelled over months
According to a judicial police investigator, José was convinced that his wife was unfaithful to him. He would not have been able to bear seeing her prepare to go out with friends. An argument apparently broke out, the two spouses sprayed each other with tear gas before falling onto the bed and then to the floor. Beside himself, José squeezed Jamila's throat until she stopped moving.
The couple had been going through a crisis for several months. Jamila had changed jobs and adopted new social habits that José "did not appreciate". The two had been sleeping in separate rooms for seven months. During his interrogation, José told investigators: "I felt very alone in my flat."
Forty years of acquaintance, a breakup on the horizon
José and Jamila had known each other for forty years. Both originally from Cape Verde, they had been neighbours before leading separate lives, then reuniting. Friends of the couple told investigators that each was looking for a new flat, a sign that a separation was imminent.
The day before the events, José apparently confided to a friend that he was considering throwing his wife out if he obtained confirmation of his suspicions. He had also contacted the man he believed to be Jamila's lover via social media. Analysis of his computer revealed searches on poisons and vulnerable parts of the human body. Before the investigating judge, he claimed to have been looking for ways to end his own life.
Those close to him describe him as a mild-mannered man, little inclined to conflict and very attached to his wife. However, Jamila's phone apparently contained exchanges with other women, suggesting that José himself would not have respected the terms of their union.
Suicide attempt and criminal history
After attempting to revive Jamila, José apparently drank a sip of drain cleaner, then rested his head on his wife's stomach. He then got behind the wheel, vomited again in his car, before stopping on Red Bridge. The quantity of product ingested was not sufficient to cause his death.
José's criminal record includes a conviction to two years' imprisonment in Portugal for acts of violence against a former partner.
The trial continues this Thursday afternoon with the hearing of the defendant. José is charged with murder and assassination.
Source: Le Quotidien