Murder trial

German couple wanted to “redeem” disabled child

The drug ecstasy was mixed into the toddler's porridge.(Bild: mizina)

A particularly tragic death case is currently being heard in the Swiss canton of Aargau on the German border. A German couple is on trial there for killing their disabled three-year-old daughter.

The girl was born with a cerebral disease and needed intensive care. According to her mother, she was in constant pain. She and her boyfriend therefore decided to "put the child to death". The family lived in Hägglingen, a good 25 kilometers south of Waldshut-Tiengen in the Waldshut district of Baden-Württemberg.

Ecstasy mixed into porridge
They had mixed the drug ecstasy into the child's porridge. Later, the father pressed a cloth over the child's face in the mother's arms until it stopped breathing. She and her boyfriend then put the child to bed and cried. The family called the emergency services the next morning and said that the child was lying lifeless in bed.

In addition to the mother and her boyfriend, the grandmother has also been charged with aiding and abetting. The couple are still together, as the mother reported. The verdict is expected to be handed down on Friday. The couple face up to 18 years in prison, the grandmother five years imprisonment.