The Berlin Regional Court ruled to place the 19-year-old perpetrator in a psychiatric hospital in connection with a brutal knife attack from June of last year. The man, motivated by "murderous intent," attacked random victims on the street – a 20-year-old high school graduate and her mother. The young woman suffered approximately 70 stab and slash wounds, and her mother was also seriously injured. The court found that without treatment, the man continues to pose a threat to society.
Psychiatric Verdict for Perpetrator
A Berlin court ordered the indefinite placement of a 19-year-old man in a psychiatric hospital. It was ruled that without treatment, he poses a threat to society.
Brutal Attack on Random Victims
The perpetrator attacked a 20-year-old high school graduate and her mother on the street. The younger victim suffered approximately 70 stab and slash wounds; both women survived after severe injuries.
Motivation: Murderous Intent
The verdict's reasoning indicated the perpetrator acted out of "murderous intent" (aus Mordlust). The victims were random, and the man was said to have exhibited a "disturbing fascination."
Trial Lasted Nine Months
Approximately nine months passed from the attack in June 2025 until the verdict was announced. The court issued a decision of a protective nature.
The Berlin Regional Court (Landgericht) issued a verdict in the case of a brutal knife attack from June 2025. The 19-year-old perpetrator was ordered to an indefinite stay in a psychiatric hospital. The presiding judge justified the ruling by stating that without appropriate treatment, the man still poses a threat to society. The victims were completely random passersby: a 20-year-old high school graduate and her mother. „Der 19-Jährige, der aus Mordlust gehandelt habe, sei ohne Behandlung gefährlich für die Allgemeinheit.” — Presiding Judge The attack was particularly cruel. The younger victim, the high school graduate, suffered approximately 70 stab and slash wounds. Her mother was also seriously injured. Both women survived but sustained severe physical and psychological injuries. Court documents indicate the perpetrator acted from a motive defined in German criminal law as "murderous intent" (Mordlust), meaning the desire to kill for the pleasure or satisfaction of the act itself. The victims were chosen completely at random, as confirmed by the court in the reasoning of the verdict. There is also mention of the perpetrator's "disturbing fascination" preceding the attack. The institution of placement in a psychiatric hospital instead of a prison (the so-called Maßregel der Besserung und Sicherung) has a long tradition in German criminal law. Its roots reach back to 19th-century concepts of criminal law that separated criminal responsibility from the necessity of protecting society from persons deemed not criminally responsible. A key amendment was introduced by a 1933 law, whose principles, in modified form, remain in effect today. The verdict is of a protective and therapeutic nature, not a prison sentence. This means the 19-year-old will remain in a closed psychiatric facility for as long as experts deem necessary for public safety and his treatment. No upper time limit for this isolation was set. The decision came nearly nine months after the incident, indicating the complex nature of the trial, requiring expert psychiatric and judicial opinions. The case resonated widely in German media, drawing attention to the problem of random street violence and the limits of criminal responsibility for persons with mental disorders.