A 25-year-traditional woman was ordered to be held in a closed psychiatric facility on Friday after being found not guilty of murder by the Darmstadt Regional Court. The verdict follows the death of her mother, a 56-year-old woman who was fatally stabbed in Bensheim in April 2025.
The court determined the woman suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and, was not fully capable of understanding her actions at the time of the killing. While the court was convinced she committed the act – inflicting fatal stab wounds to the chest and skull, requiring considerable force, according to presiding Judge Volker Wagner – she will not face criminal punishment. The initial charge of murder was dropped.
The sentencing was immediately followed by a violent outburst from the defendant, who attacked one of her defense attorneys. Court security intervened, subduing and handcuffing the woman, who resisted arrest. The attorney was not seriously injured.
Psychiatric evaluations presented during the trial indicated the woman’s mental state led her to believe her mother was controlling and overbearing, fostering a delusional environment. She admitted to the killing in both a 911 call and a letter to the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court, but expressed no remorse during the trial, stating in her final statement that she did not regret her actions.
Prior to the verdict, the victim had sought help from a counseling center and the social psychiatric service of the Bergstraße district administration, having been threatened by her daughter. Witnesses described the victim as a caring mother dedicated to providing a quality life for her two daughters, a perspective the defendant appeared unable to recognize.
Judge Wagner explained that the underlying cause of the crime was not a matter of free will, but rather a consequence of the defendant’s mental illness. He emphasized the importance of treatment, stating that without it, the condition could become chronic and irreversible. He too noted the defendant had previously displayed aggressive behavior towards others, justifying the need for secure confinement to protect the public.
The prosecution and defense both argued for a finding of diminished responsibility and requested placement in a psychiatric facility. However, the lawyer representing the victim’s sister had argued for a murder conviction, contending that the defendant’s mental illness only partially impaired her ability to control her actions.
In her final statement to the court, the defendant claimed her mother’s behavior was “controlling” and violated her dignity, and demanded compensation of €2.2 million for the “damage to her life,” while simultaneously requesting to be spared punishment.
