Germany’s Federal Court of Justice has upheld a conviction delivered by a regional court in Cologne concerning the death of a young woman following prolonged abuse by her housemates. The court announced Wednesday that appeals submitted by the defendants had been rejected, confirming the original verdict was procedurally and substantively sound.
The Cologne Regional Court had previously sentenced three of the four defendants to life imprisonment on charges of murder and ordered the detention of two of those individuals in secure psychiatric facilities. A fourth defendant received a total sentence of four years and six months for aggravated assault, incorporating a prior conviction, with a two-month reduction for time served.
Court findings detailed a sustained period of violent abuse perpetrated by all four defendants against their female housemate. Over several days, the victim was subjected to repeated physical assault, including being struck and kicked, with some attackers utilising items such as dog leads, quartz-reinforced gloves and steel-toed shoes. The defendants also deprived the woman of food and fluids. While all four initially participated in the abuse, the violence was later continued solely by the three who were ultimately convicted of murder.
Despite being rescued by police and receiving intensive medical care, the severely injured and critically dehydrated woman succumbed to multi-organ failure weeks after her liberation.
The Federal Court of Justice’s decision means the Regional Court’s judgement is now final and legally binding (decision dated July 1st, 2025 – 2 StR 429/24).
