Gina H. rejects murder charges and explains car blood traces in trial over eight-year-old Fabian

First statement before the Rostock court

On 24 August 2026, 30-year-old Gina H. testified for the first time before the Rostock Regional Court, rejecting charges that she murdered eight-year-old Fabian. Prosecutors accuse her of stabbing the boy on 10 October 2025 at a pond near Klein Upahl, approximately 15 kilometres south of Güstrow, before setting his body on fire. The state alleges the killing was motivated by tensions surrounding her relationship with the boy's father and its temporary breakdown. Reading from a 95-page statement across a stack of DIN A4 sheets, Gina H. presented her account in an address estimated to last roughly four hours.

Relationship and psychological background

In her testimony, the defendant detailed the four-year relationship she maintained with Fabian's father until August 2025, describing how she moved into his residence shortly after meeting him.

It was love at first sight.

Gina H. stated that her son, who was approximately the same age as Fabian, shared a close relationship with the boy. However, domestic friction developed after she had an abortion following an unplanned pregnancy four months into the relationship. Although she noted that the abortion was a mutual decision, she felt abandoned afterward and suffered from depression. She also addressed her personal background, stating that she has received an occupational disability pension for years due to a personality disorder with borderline symptoms. Because she owned five horses, she remained reliant on financial assistance from Fabian's father. The judge ordered a 30-minute pause in the proceedings when the defendant broke into tears while recounting the death of her favourite horse.

Account of blood traces in the vehicle

Gina H. directly responded to forensic evidence introduced by investigators, specifically a roll of kitchen paper bearing Fabian's blood that police retrieved from the rear door storage of her car. She told the court that the blood dated back to an August 2025 excursion to a bathing lake with Fabian and her son. During the outing, Fabian sustained a minor scratch on his foot.

Then Fabian's world was fine again.

She testified that she applied a plaster and dabbed the barely bleeding wound with the kitchen roll without tearing the sheet from the roll.

Circumstantial evidence and courtroom proceedings

The trial has attracted significant public attention since opening on 28 April 2026, prompting spectators to queue outside the courthouse starting at 04:00. Rostock Regional Court assigned the proceedings to Room 2.002, which contains 100 seats for spectators and 50 seats reserved for journalists, all subject to security checkpoints.

The court has evaluated numerous expert reports, witness accounts, and frequent voice messages sent by Gina H. to Fabian's father regarding jealousy, breakups, and accusations of lying. In earlier sessions, her sister testified about family tensions, lies, and emotional outbursts. The court has scheduled the final day of hearings for 10 September 2026, at which point judges could deliver a verdict.