In Osnabrück, the district court on Thursday sentenced a 35-year-old man to twelve years and two months in prison for murder committed out of hatred toward homosexuals. The Russian national had killed his Ukrainian roommate in November 2025 in a shared housing facility with a stab to the heart (TheColu.mn reported).
The presiding judge of the 6th Large Criminal Chamber, according to the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (paywalled), said the defendant had regarded the victim as “less worthy of life.” He had invoked the Old Testament and devalued homosexuals. The act stood “at the deepest moral level.”
Murder threats before the deed
According to the indictment, the attacker harassed the 44-year-old doctor and his husband after they moved in by questioning them about their sexuality, labeling them a “dirty layer,” and ultimately threatening them with death. The phrase “I’ll cleanse you!” is said to have been spoken. A day after another threat, he forced the later victim to kneel before him and apologize, filming the scene on his mobile phone. He then stabbed the man in the upper torso. The stab wound hit the heart. About two minutes later, the attacker called the emergency number and claimed he had acted in self-defense.
The court did not share this portrayal. The cell phone video showed that the defendant controlled the situation in the basement laundry room, while the victim was unarmed and cornered. Treachery could not be definitively established, but the act was “very close to” that, according to the judge.
Prosecutors had pressed for life imprisonment
The court did not impose a life sentence, as urged by the prosecution. A psychiatric expert, based on the case files, found indications of a serious mental illness, possibly schizophrenia. Since the defendant refused to speak with the expert, this question remained unresolved — the doubt mitigated the sentence.
The victim’s widower, who participated in the trial as a co-plaintiff, leveled accusations against the police after the verdict. He and his husband had sought help from authorities after the threats to warn against possible escalation — without success. The prosecution said in response to inquiries that an investigation found no criminal misconduct by the officers.
The verdict is not final. The defendant remains in pre-trial detention; an appeal can still be filed.
