After the fatal robbery of a 57-year-old in his terraced house in Berlin-Wannsee, three men have been sentenced to long prison terms.

A 32-year-old received eleven years for murder – he was the driving force behind the burglary and brutally hit the victim, the Berlin district court justified on Tuesday.

In addition, his placement in a rehabilitation center was ordered. Two 28- and 29-year-old defendants were each sentenced to six years in prison for particularly serious robbery and dangerous bodily harm.

“The defendants had their sights set on substantial prey,” the verdict continued. However, the victim was financially modest. They stole some jewelry “and a total of 150 euros in cash”. The massive beatings against the slender man, who lived alone in the terraced house he inherited from his father, were said to be excessive. Because the court followed an expert opinion and assumed that the 32-year-old’s criminal responsibility was significantly reduced, life imprisonment was not imposed.

The three accused are said to have broken into the 57-year-old’s terraced house through the patio door on the night of March 23, 2021. Shortly before, the 32-year-old had heard from his girlfriend that there was supposedly a “safe with gold bars” there, according to the court. “He made the decision to commit a burglary.” He had won two of his acquaintances as accomplices.

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When the patio door was smashed in with a stone, the ailing and emaciated homeowner went to the stairwell, the verdict said. The 32-year-old immediately attacked the victim “with incredible brutality”.

The 28-year-old accused had confessed. According to the court, his help in clarifying the matter was taken into account as a mitigating measure. The public prosecutor’s office had requested prison sentences of eight to 14 years. The defenders of the 32- and 28-year-olds made no specific criminal complaints, the lawyers for the 29-year-old pleaded for acquittal. The verdict is not yet legally binding.