Fabian murder trial: Father initially suspected his partner, long-time friend tells court in Rostock

Father’s changing stance revealed by close friend

A 38-year-old man who described himself as a long-time friend of Matthias R., father of the murdered child, appeared as a witness at the Landgericht Rostock on Wednesday. He stated that on 14 October 2025, the day Fabian’s body was discovered at a pond near Klein Upahl, R. told him “klipp und klar” (plainly and clearly) that he suspected his partner Gina H. Now the accused, Gina H. sits in the dock while R. observes from the public gallery. R. had been in a relationship with H. for years. After a temporary separation in August 2025 he returned to her, and he is now again her partner.

The witness added that early in 2026 R. reversed his position, saying he no longer believed H. was involved unless there was proof of her guilt. R., who attended the hearing, had earlier dismissed these claims during police questioning on the second and third trial days.

How the accused behaved: contrasting accounts

A veterinarian who had cared for H.’s five horses since 2021 gave evidence that H. was completely distraught and weeping when her favourite horse died in summer 2024. After Fabian went missing in October 2025, however, the same woman appeared “inappropriately” composed, the vet told the 3rd Criminal Chamber. The vet added that even while the boy was still being searched for, H. seemed unruffled. In a WhatsApp voice message a few days after the body was found H. told the vet she had nothing to do with the crime and had merely found Fabian.

“She came across as if her emotions had been cut off.”

A court aid worker who interviewed H. in pre-trial detention in January said H. was “emotional wie abgeschnitten” (emotionally severed). H. told her she was supposed to have done something she did not do. The aid worker noted that H.’s bond with her horses felt more intense than any human relationship.

What the prosecution alleges

Prosecutors accuse Gina H. of luring Fabian from his mother’s flat in Güstrow on 10 October 2025, stabbing him six times at a pond near Klein Upahl, and then setting his body on fire. Investigators believe H. saw the child as an obstacle to winning back his father after the August 2025 separation. H. says she discovered the body by chance during a walk on 14 October and alerted the police. Other witnesses, however, stated she had already been at the site with two acquaintances on 13 October.

The 30-year-old has exercised her right to remain silent throughout the trial, which began in April and is scheduled to run until 10 September. Her defence team has indicated she will speak in August. Fabian’s mother participates as a joint plaintiff.

What comes next

On Thursday, the 17th hearing day, the court summoned five further witnesses: acquaintances and neighbours of the accused. More testimony is expected to build the circumstantial picture, as the trial rests almost entirely on indirect evidence. A verdict is not expected before September.