A 66-year-old Luxembourg national has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife, whose body he concealed in a forest before falsely reporting her missing.
The Luxembourg City court handed down the sentence on Wednesday afternoon, with the presiding judge citing mitigating circumstances in the ruling.
The accused killed his wife on the night of 29 September 2023 at the couple’s home in Dommeldange. According to evidence presented during the trial, the man punched his wife in the face before strangling her for several minutes. The prosecution argued that the motive stemmed from his inability to cope with the couple’s separation, as the victim had informed him one week earlier that she intended to end their 40-year relationship.
Following the killing, the defendant hid the body in a forest near Consdorf. Together with his adult children, he subsequently reported the woman as missing to police and attempted to cover his involvement. He only confessed one week later, after realising that authorities were closing in on him.
During the trial in January, it emerged that the man had visited the burial site in advance and purchased painter’s clothing, glue, and gloves from a hardware store prior to the murder.
The prosecution had sought a life sentence for murder. The defence, however, contended that the homicide was not premeditated but rather the result of acute psychological stress. This argument was rejected by a psychiatric expert, who ruled out an act of passion, pointing to the sustained and deliberate nature of the violence.
The victim’s three siblings, who were civil parties to the proceedings, were each awarded €20,000 in damages.
The defendant has 40 days to appeal the verdict. His lawyer, Lynn Frank, has already indicated that they intend to do so.
