The defendant is awaiting the start of his trial in Bonn.
Source : Federico Gambarini/dpaFollowing the discovery of a woman's hands, body, and head in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, the trial against her husband has begun. The man, from Eritrea, has a prior criminal record.
The trial of a 42-year-old man from Eritrea began on Tuesday at the Bonn Regional Court. The prosecution accuses the husband of killing his 32-year-old wife, dismembering her body, and leaving their baby in the dark.
The 42-year-old entered the courtroom with his black hood pulled low over his face. He did not comment on the charges at the start of the trial. However, his lawyer announced that he would make statements regarding his marriage and living arrangements at a later date.
The woman's remains were partially discovered in November 2025: First, her severed hands were found on a motorway in the Sauerland region. Two weeks later, her body was found in northern Rhineland-Palatinate. Garbage collectors discovered her head much later in a plastic bag near the A4 motorway in the Olpe district.
The presiding judge said that eight different police and investigative organizations alone were involved in the proceedings. The court must gradually piece together the many fragments of the case.
The public prosecutor's office describes the sequence of events.
The public prosecutor's office assumes that the woman was killed on November 16th. Her husband allegedly either strangled or suffocated her in the back seat of a car on the premises of a vehicle salvage yard in Bonn.
The 32-year-old woman had not expected an attack, especially since she was caring for their baby, who was also in the car. The prosecution alleges that "the defendant deliberately took advantage of this situation." The baby was three months old at the time.
Almost a year after the discovery of a dismembered female corpse at various locations in Germany, the trial of a 42-year-old man begins in Bonn.
Source : Federico Gambarini/dpaThe electrician, originally from Eritrea, is said to have driven the car to Waldsolms in Hesse via several intermediate stops. His murdered wife was also from the East African nation. He allegedly left the baby in a stroller near a Coptic monastery in the dark. Temperatures of around two degrees Celsius and rain were expected. It was only by chance that the child was found and rescued in time.
The 42-year-old is alleged to have subsequently severed the head and hands of the victim in a wooded area in Rhineland-Palatinate. He then allegedly "disposed of" the remains along the highways, according to the public prosecutor's office.
The possible motive is unclear. According to the defense attorney, the prosecution is relying on various pieces of circumstantial evidence and materials – such as DNA findings and a movement analysis of the mobile phone.
Defendant already convicted in 2017
At the start of the trial, the court focused on the defendant's life story. According to his own account, he fled from Eritrea to Germany via Sudan, Libya, and Italy. His asylum application was reportedly rejected. However, his client had been granted temporary leave to remain, his lawyer explained.
According to his lawyer, the 42-year-old had "settled in very well in Germany." He had learned the language and worked – his employers had valued him. The man worked as an electrician's assistant and as a truck driver.
It also came to light that the 42-year-old had already been sentenced to six months' probation in 2017. He had reportedly choked someone during an argument at a construction site.
The family is hoping for answers.
According to the lawyer representing the victim's family, who are representing the father and child, the family hopes for clarity. "The family hopes the trial will bring clarity," she stated. "The investigation into the crime and a just verdict are important for processing what happened."
The family suffered during the agonizingly long wait for the woman's remains. The funeral dragged on for months. She also hopes the proceedings will send a message: violence against women will not be tolerated and will have consequences.
According to the prosecution, the woman had completed vocational training in metal and woodworking in Eritrea and worked successfully in her profession. She reportedly married the defendant in 2019. The couple had already known each other in Eritrea, his lawyer said.
According to the plaintiff's statement, the woman came to Germany in 2024 as part of family reunification – "despite existing marital difficulties." The conflicts persisted, so the woman and her child, born in 2025, lived not with her husband but
in a refugee shelter . She wanted to protect her child.
