Documentary | 2020 | ZDFinfo [de] | Germany
Main data
| Director | Simone Dühring |
|---|---|
| Written by | Stefan Suchalla (co-writer), Thomas Hinrichsen (co-writer) |
| Production | EIKON Nord TV- & Filmproduktion GmbH |
Project data
| Length of movie | 44min |
|---|
Brief synopsis
A young woman was found dead on the North Sea island of Juist on July 25, 2013. The body was undressed. The perpetrator was quickly caught and confessed to the murder of Alexandra Wehrmann. The victim's relatives assumed that he would have to go to prison for life for murder. But the court had doubts.
What is the just punishment for a person who has killed? Murderers have to go to jail for life, but someone convicted of manslaughter can hope for a much lighter sentence.
A similar case in Berlin: the man who killed an uninvolved passerby during a car chase was charged with murder. His victim Johanna Hahn wanted to cross a street as a pedestrian on June 6, 2018. The traffic light was green. But Milinko P., fleeing from the police, ignored the red light and hit the 22-year-old student with his car. She was killed instantly. The prosecution later pleaded to involuntary manslaughter. The lawyer of the surviving relatives, Gregor Gysi, however, is convinced: It was murder.
In Neuruppin, too, a mother and her adult son had to stand trial for murder. But there was no body. It was not until 16 years after the disappearance of Maike Thiel that Christine S. and Michael S. were charged. The two were alleged to have plotted a murder against their son's pregnant ex-girlfriend and killed Maike Thiel on July 3, 1997. Their alleged motive: the threat of child support payments for mother and child. But in court the question arose: Can a murder be proven without a corpse?
Every case is different - and there is rarely certainty about the outcome of the court proceedings after a homicide. Was it murder or manslaughter? Or possibly just "involuntary manslaughter"? What is the evidence for? And what is the appropriate punishment for the perpetrator? The court must make a decision. According to the law. In the name of the people.
(ZDF)
What is the just punishment for a person who has killed? Murderers have to go to jail for life, but someone convicted of manslaughter can hope for a much lighter sentence.
A similar case in Berlin: the man who killed an uninvolved passerby during a car chase was charged with murder. His victim Johanna Hahn wanted to cross a street as a pedestrian on June 6, 2018. The traffic light was green. But Milinko P., fleeing from the police, ignored the red light and hit the 22-year-old student with his car. She was killed instantly. The prosecution later pleaded to involuntary manslaughter. The lawyer of the surviving relatives, Gregor Gysi, however, is convinced: It was murder.
In Neuruppin, too, a mother and her adult son had to stand trial for murder. But there was no body. It was not until 16 years after the disappearance of Maike Thiel that Christine S. and Michael S. were charged. The two were alleged to have plotted a murder against their son's pregnant ex-girlfriend and killed Maike Thiel on July 3, 1997. Their alleged motive: the threat of child support payments for mother and child. But in court the question arose: Can a murder be proven without a corpse?
Every case is different - and there is rarely certainty about the outcome of the court proceedings after a homicide. Was it murder or manslaughter? Or possibly just "involuntary manslaughter"? What is the evidence for? And what is the appropriate punishment for the perpetrator? The court must make a decision. According to the law. In the name of the people.
(ZDF)