33-year-old charged with killing woman from Heilbronn in Sweden
A man from the Karlsruhe district allegedly killed his 29-year-old partner during a holiday in Sweden. In court, he denies the murder but admits to disturbing the dead.
Suspect denies murder after extradition to Sweden
A 33-year-old man from the Karlsruhe district is in pre-trial detention in Sweden after allegedly killing his 29-year-old partner from Heilbronn during their shared holiday. According to echo24.de, the suspect denies the murder in court but admitted to disturbing the dead, as set out in the protocol of the detention hearing.
The woman had been reported missing since 26 July. In early August, her body was found violently in the south Swedish region of Kalmar – according to Swedish media reports, in a lake. The man was arrested near his home on 14 August following a European arrest warrant issued by Swedish authorities. After initially resisting extradition, the Karlsruhe Higher Regional Court decided on 30 September that the transfer was permissible.
The court in Kalmar sees strong grounds for suspicion for both charges despite the man's denial of the murder and decided to keep him in pre-trial detention. He remains in detention due to risk of flight and risk of evidence tampering, although he may appeal against the decision.
The prosecution must file charges by 9 November at the latest. An extension of the deadline is possible. How the woman came from the holiday home to the lake is still under investigation. According to broadcaster SVT, the suspect's lawyer stated that his client wished to cooperate with the authorities to clarify the course of events.
Should the man be sentenced to a custodial sentence, he may, at his request and with the assurance of the Swedish judicial authorities, serve it in Germany. The OLG Karlsruhe justified the extradition on the grounds that the crime scene was in Sweden and the body was found there: "Such an incident significantly violates the sense of security of the population."
Disturbing the dead, which the suspect partially admitted to, is an offence under German criminal law pursuant to § 168 StGB. Investigations by Swedish criminal police and German authorities into the exact circumstances of the act are continuing.
Source: Die Zeit Kriminalität