76-year-old on trial in Cologne over fatal stabbing of husband with dementia — prosecution says murder, she says accident

Prosecution’s version

The Cologne Public Prosecutor’s Office charges that the 46-year marriage had deteriorated under the strain of the husband’s dementia.

“The couple’s life together in recent years was marked in particular by the victim’s dementia.”

The indictment alleges that disputes were frequent, with the accused consistently loud and aggressive while the husband remained largely passive.

On the day of the incident, witnesses heard the defendant shout twice:

“I’ll stab you!”

Immediately afterwards, according to the prosecution, she picked up a sharp-edged object and stabbed her husband in the chest. She then called emergency services, but the 83-year-old died at the scene despite resuscitation attempts.

Defendant’s account

Through her lawyer, the 76-year-old acknowledged that she was

“causally responsible for the death”

of her husband but called the event a 

“tragic accident”

. She explained that she was preparing food and had a knife in her hand when her husband stood up without using his walker. Fearing he would fall, she tried to support him, still holding the knife.

“The knife must have penetrated him in the process.”

Afterwards she noticed a little blood on the tip of the blade and wiped it off, a detail she could no longer explain.

Trial and background

The trial opened on Friday at the Cologne regional court. Three further hearing days are scheduled, and a verdict is expected in early July. The defendant has been in pre-trial detention since January and is said to be physically impaired following a heart attack and a previous cancer illness.