When the defense lawyer finished his argument on Monday, a member of the accused’s family clapped his hands in the ranks of the audience. A high-pitched “Ssssh” and the stern look of a policewoman quickly silence the applause. For approximately 90 minutes, the lawyer spoke in particular about theoretical psychology, Immanuel Kant’s theory of knowledge and the literature of Heinrich von Kleist. All this to demonstrate that his client was not guilty due to a mental illness. Instead of being imprisoned, this 41-year-old woman should be committed to a psychiatric hospital.
Since last week, Catiuscia M. has been charged with murder before the Diekirch District Court. On February 13, 2022, the woman allegedly knocked out her husband from behind with a hammer in the bedroom of the marital home in Heispelt, dragged the seriously injured man on a blanket to the cellar stairs and there pushed. It was only three weeks later, on March 7, 2022, that police found the body of the 56-year-old man.
Defense contradicts expert
Indeed, the accused’s medical file is long. In 2013, acute psychosis with schizophrenic features was diagnosed. In the years that followed, several stays in clinics followed. Every day, Catiuscia M. has to take medication. In his psychiatric assessment, an expert nevertheless concluded that his capacity for discernment was certainly impaired by a schizoaffective disorder. However, the accused is responsible for her actions. In any case, the descriptions of Catiuscia M. do not suggest that she was suffering from hallucinations at the time of the events.
This is precisely what the defense disputes. Thus, the accused would have indicated, for example, after the crime that her husband was still speaking to her during the hammer blows and later, when he was seriously injured in the cellar. According to the expertise of a forensic doctor, this is not plausible. The psychiatric expert, however, was not aware of this expertise, which influenced his conclusions, according to the accused’s defense lawyer.
At the bar, the psychiatrist indicates, however, that this circumstance does not change his assessments. He judges the statements of the accused as declarations of protection and embellishment so as not to have to face the full gravity of their guilt. For the same reasons, rapists, for example, claim that their victims wanted to have sex with them.
Crying crisis in front of the judge’s office
In court, the accused declared regret for her action. She attributes the fact that she didn’t just leave the house at the time to her illness. She would have suffered a lot from her husband. He allegedly insulted and threatened her. Life in Heispelt was also difficult. The other inhabitants of the village would have excluded her. After a few minutes in front of the judge’s desk, she burst into tears and could barely say a word.
Immediately after the discovery of the body, Catiuscia M. made clear statements again. In the early hours of February 13, 2022, an argument broke out between the spouses. Her husband allegedly pushed her into the kitchen and threatened her with a knife. She then left the room. The alcoholic man, who could only get around on crutches, was unable to stop him. In the storage room, she allegedly found a hammer. She then asked her husband to go to his room.
While he was watching television on the bed, she allegedly closed the blinds, stood behind him and hit him. According to the autopsy report, she hit her husband’s head at least six times. She then allegedly undressed her victim so that she would be cold. She then allegedly dragged her seriously injured partner by the feet on a blanket into the kitchen and pushed him down the cellar stairs. On the day of the incident, she opened the door every hour to check if the 56-year-old man was still alive. He did not die until the next day.
The prosecution sees a financial motive
“This is not how a living being should die,” said the public prosecutor. The act is characterized by “his cruelty and cold-bloodedness.” The accused shows no remorse, she showed “no humanity” towards her victim. “She abandoned her husband to the rats in the cellar while he was dying,” the prosecution said. She then continued to live her daily life “as if nothing had happened.”
According to the representative of the public prosecutor, the accused must be convicted of murder. She committed her act intentionally and did not act out of anger. The man was also not threatening at the time of the incident. He was finally sitting on the bed and watching TV. According to him, the accused had financial motives. Analysis of her mobile phone showed that Catiuscia M. was interested in luxury items and real estate in Switzerland and abroad.
She also allegedly attempted, while still in pre-trial detention, to execute the marriage contract and to appropriate, among other things, the property in Heispelt. These assets were to be confiscated. “It is not possible that murder can be paid for,” the prosecution said.
Catiuscia M. would have reduced responsibility due to her mental illness, which should have the effect of mitigating her sentence. Instead of a life sentence, 25 years in prison were requested against him. Most of the sentence is to be served without parole. A suspension of sentence should also be accompanied by conditions such as psychiatric treatment.
The judgment will be rendered on January 16, 2025.
This article was originally published on the website of Luxembourg word.
Adaptation: Antony Speciale
