The charges were attempted murder, dangerous physical harm and serious arson. The judges found an accused 88-year-old guilty. He must be in custody.
Karlsruhe – An 88-year-old man has been imprisoned for five and a half years for attempted murder of his son-in-law and serious arson.
The judges of the Karlsruhe Regional Court also found him guilty on Tuesday for dangerous bodily harm. In March 2021, the German first doused the terrace of his daughter’s house in Malsch and then doused his son-in-law with an accelerator and set it on fire.
“They just flicked a match in his direction,” said the presiding judge, Fernando Sanchez-Hermosilla, in his verdict. “You had come to terms with the fact that it was burning and you didn’t care.”
The 88-year-old was convinced that his daughter had ruined and cheated on him financially. Previously, he had given her his property for tax reasons, he wanted to reverse the donation and threatened the couple massively before the evening in March. But it is precisely this fanatical fixation that is also a sign of a possible incipient dementia, explained the court. “So we are assuming that you were less responsible,” said the presiding judge. dpa
