The 39-year-old TA from Asten felt so humiliated by his wife last year that he tried to strangle his two sons (6 and 7). According to him, his wife was cheating on him and he became increasingly angry and angry about it. Finally, on September 16, he made good on all his threats and tried to strangle his two sons with the belt of a bathrobe. The children barely survived this. The public prosecutor demanded ten years in prison and TBS on Thursday.
TA doesn’t remember much about that almost fatal day, he stated. In the court in Den Bosch on Thursday afternoon he kept asking himself why he tried to kill his children, because he remembers little about that Friday in September. His wife, who already wanted to divorce him and now never wants to see him again, wondered how hatred for her could be greater than love for his children.
Death wishes
TA knew for sure last year: his wife was cheating. And that thought drove him crazy. A long stream of death wishes that the man sent to his wife in the summer of last year were read out in court. He was ashamed of his wife’s cheating and felt abandoned. According to experts, it all became too much for him in the period before the strangulation attempts.
On the night before the murder attempts, things got completely out of hand. His wife no longer dared to be at home and says that is why she slept in the car. TA assumed she was with another man and bombarded her with threats. And he also threatened, as so often, to kill their children.
The judge asked TA what he could remember. Not much, the man said. The children were supposed to go to school that Friday, but for unknown reasons they did not go. TA had been arguing with his wife all night and had also involved her family and friends.
Images on WhatsApp
A friend and his wife were so concerned that they stopped by that night. TA was restless and angry and said he was going to kill his wife and children and then himself. Still, they went home again. Apparently no one expected TA to make good on his words, but unfortunately it did.
It was bizarre to hear that the man apparently screamed for attention so much that he sent images of the lifeless children via WhatsApp to his wife and other family and friends. Their panic was enormous. The images showed the children lying on the floor in their room and the police were immediately called by everyone involved.
Just get some cigarettes
Within a few minutes the Elfenbank in Asten was teeming with police. Just as they were about to break open the door, TA arrived. He had gone to the gas station to get cigarettes and opened the door for the officers. It hadn’t occurred to him to call 911 himself.
Inside, the dazed, crying children were screaming for help. They had blue and purple faces and were coughing and spluttering. Investigation showed that they had been strangled for tens of seconds and that they might as well not have survived. Ultimately, they suffered nothing physically serious from the event.
Regret and shame
Now, 15 months later, TA has a lot of regret and shame. The children miss their father, but do not understand why he did this. The whole family suffers from the tragedy.
The big question in court was of course what should happen to TA. According to experts, the political refugee from Azerbaijan has a number of disorders and is very jealous. In the period before the assassination attempts, he was desperate and felt like he had lost everything. The man became more and more irritable and blamed his wife for everything. He threatened to kill her in all kinds of ways and also asked her brother to do so.
Lover threatened
The public prosecutor had an idea about that. TA had also tried to strangle his wife and threatened her lover. Even in prison he continued to make plans to kill his wife. Even in captivity, she was still blamed for all her misery.
According to the officer, TA is less accountable due to his disorders, but a significant prison sentence is still appropriate for TA’s attempted murder. In addition, the man should receive extensive treatment for his disorders. The public prosecutor therefore demanded ten years in prison and TBS with compulsory treatment.
TA’s lawyer thought the justice’s demand was far too high. According to her, the man focused far too much on cheating due to his disorders such as PTSD. She held court that the man had no intention at all to kill his children and he had no idea what he was doing. Therefore, in her opinion, a long prison sentence is not appropriate. TBS with compulsory treatment is also much too severe for TA, the lawyer argued. Now, more than a year later, A. has made significant progress thanks to his current treatment
The verdict in this case is on December 21.