The District Prosecutor’s Office in Legnica has filed an indictment against a 70-year-old man who, on December 22, 2024, strangled his wife in one of the single-family homes in Legnica and then notified the police himself.
Investigators established that, on that day, because of family problems and problems related to running a business, the 70-year-old defendant went downstairs to the living room at around 5:00 a.m., where his wife was sleeping on a sofa bed. He decided to take her life.
– At first, he covered the woman’s face with a pillow, but when she began to defend herself, he threw it aside and continued strangling her by tightening his hands around her neck – reports prosecutor Liliana Łukasiewicz, press spokesperson for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Legnica. – This led to bilateral fracture of the thyroid cartilage and then to sudden and violent death caused by asphyxiation.
The man then dressed in outdoor clothes and notified the police. He was subsequently remanded in custody.
Prosecutor: – The defendant confessed to committing the crime and gave extensive explanations, stating the reasons for his actions. He claimed that he had wanted to protect his wife from the consequences of their family problems. He said that he loved his wife and that they had been a harmonious couple. He stated that his actions had been impulsive and that he had not planned them. He deeply regretted what he had done.
During the investigation, doubts arose concerning the suspect’s sanity at the time of the crime. Investigators:
The psychiatric and psychological opinion obtained indicates that the defendant committed the alleged crime while having significantly limited ability to understand the significance of his actions and to control his conduct. The experts did not diagnose the defendant with a mental illness. They concluded that the cause of his actions was a severe depressive episode resulting from what he subjectively perceived as a difficult life situation.
They added: – The defendant experienced helplessness, fear, despair, panic attacks, concerns about the future, regret, as well as anger and rage. His mood deteriorated significantly, and he developed a depressive perception of reality, which led him to commit the alleged act.
Murder carries a sentence of at least 10 years’ imprisonment or life imprisonment.
However, due to his diminished sanity, the court may apply extraordinary mitigation of punishment. Liliana Łukasiewicz: – This means imposing a sentence below the statutory minimum, that is, below 10 years. If the act constitutes a felony, as it does in this case, the court must impose a prison sentence of no less than one-third of the statutory minimum. Therefore, in the defendant’s case, the court may impose a sentence ranging from 3 years and 6 months to 10 years’ imprisonment.