From BZ/dpa
According to the investigators, a dispute over custody of two small boys whose mother died of heart disease ended with the deadly shot of the father, Mahmoud F. (39). A 32-year-old uncle of the two children has been in front of the Berlin district court since Friday as the suspected murderer.
After reading the indictment, one of his lawyers announced that his client would comment at a later date.
The main defendant is said to have killed his brother-in-law Mahmoud F. a few days before an appointment at the family court in Bonn. The Lebanese man is charged with murder and robbery resulting in death.
He is said to have traveled from the Rhineland to Berlin with a co-defendant 39-year-old and his girlfriend in November 2021. The main defendant’s plan was to rob and shoot his brother-in-law, according to the prosecution. Malice, greed, base motives and enabling a crime are the hallmarks of the murder charged with.
According to the investigation, a dispute had broken out before the crime over custody of the two then two and three-year-old nephews of the main suspect. Her mother had died suddenly of heart disease a few months earlier.
Mahmoud F. fought for custody of his two children. For that he had to die Photo: Olaf Wagner
Her family blamed her partner, the boy’s father. He was awarded custody. The main defendant did not want to accept that. He also wanted to steal documents and money and avenge the death of his sister.
The 32-year-old and the accused 39-year-old are said to have attacked the victim in his apartment in Berlin-Wedding. According to the prosecution, the main defendant killed his brother-in-law with targeted shots.
His 39-year-old accomplice is said to have searched the apartment for documents related to the custody dispute – including the children’s birth certificates and an Islamic marriage certificate – and for cash. The accomplice is charged with robbery resulting in death. The 24-year-old girlfriend of the accomplice, who is said to have acted as the driver, is accused of aiding and abetting.
Hussein F. and Mohamad F. (from left) are the brothers of the murder victim. In the process, they appear as joint plaintiffs Photo: Olaf Wagner
The 39-year-old accused had given the police comprehensive testimony – the taking of evidence began with his statements recorded on video at the time. The trained automotive mechatronics technician explained that he had gone to Berlin with the 32-year-old. He said he wanted to “pick up things and money” from his brother-in-law.
IIn the apartment, the 32-year-old pulled out a pistol, demanded money and then shot his brother-in-law. “I didn’t know it was planned that way,” the 39-year-old said at the time. The 32-year-old fired three shots.
At the beginning of the trial, one of the two lawyers for the 39-year-old described the prosecution in his client’s case as “inconclusive” in a defense attorney’s statement. There is no indication that the 39-year-old knew about the weapon – “he did not know that the killing should come,” said the lawyer. A lawyer for the 24-year-old, a student, also said in a defense attorney’s statement that the charges in the woman’s case appear to be “speculative”.
For the trial of the three arrested accused, 24 more days of trial are planned until the beginning of December. The hearing will continue on September 13th.