Man kills wife with machete in broad daylight in Kelkheim, Germany; witnesses overpower attacker

The attack on Frankfurter Strasse

The attack occurred shortly after 9 p.m. on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, on Frankfurter Strasse near the market square in central Kelkheim. The area was still busy at the time, with numerous restaurants and shops open and a significant number of people present. The Frankfurt Public Prosecutor's Office stated that the 60-year-old suspect inflicted "at least 30 distinguishable stab and cut wounds to the head, neck, nape and upper body" of his 58-year-old wife using a machete. The victim, also a Croatian national, died at the scene from her injuries.

The man inflicted at least 30 distinguishable stab and cut wounds to the head, neck, nape and upper body with a machete.

A witness named Peter told the dpa news agency that he was standing only about five metres away during the attack. He said the suspect, who appeared to be intoxicated, stabbed the woman once in the neck. The witness said he saw only that single stab before the attack was "over." The victim managed to run a few steps in the same direction before collapsing, according to the witness.

Everything was full of blood. I ran for my life.

Witnesses disarm the suspect

Several passers-by intervened immediately, overpowering the attacker and holding him until police officers arrived to arrest him. The suspect sustained injuries during the citizen's arrest. A police spokesperson confirmed that the scene remained active late into the night, with forensic teams in white protective suits conducting a centimetre-by-centimetre search of the area. Blue circles marking evidence were visible on the pavement the following morning, stretching across dozens of metres. Kelkheim's First Alderman Dirk Hofmann (CDU) arrived at the scene that evening and thanked the citizens who had stepped in. Emergency chaplains were deployed to care for traumatised onlookers, several of whom were young people.

Unfortunately, younger people were also present. Some were traumatised by the events. But the emergency chaplaincy teams looked after the younger ones in an exemplary manner.

Motive and prehistory of the relationship

The couple had been married since 1991 but had been living separately for about three years, according to the prosecutor's office. The wife had temporarily allowed the man back into the marital home. He had repeatedly threatened to kill her if she filed for divorce, which she wished to do. The prosecutor's office stated that the man acted out of "exaggerated possessiveness and jealousy, assuming she was cheating on him." Police had previously offered support services to the woman. She declined, believing that the suspect would not harm her because he still loved her.

The man acted out of exaggerated possessiveness and jealousy, in the assumption that she was cheating on him.

The question of whether the crime constitutes a femicide was initially left open by the authorities. The Tagesspiegel noted that the most common form of femicide involves the killing of women by partners or ex-partners, with motives including male possessiveness, control, and dominance.

Legal proceedings and aftermath

The suspect was brought before an investigating judge at the Frankfurt District Court on Wednesday afternoon, 15 July. An arrest warrant was issued on suspicion of murder based on base motives. The investigation is ongoing, and prosecutors are determining which of the many witnesses present will be required to give evidence. By Wednesday morning, residents had placed flowers and candles at the crime scene near the market square in the town of 28,000, which lies in the Main-Taunus district near Frankfurt am Main. The Wednesday market was sparsely attended, but people moved through the city centre as usual. A local woman said friends who had been watching a World Cup football match at a bar on the market square had witnessed the killing and were still in shock.