Tuesday, January 20
It might sound like a Patricia Highsmith novel, but after a six-month trial, the murderer of a man off the Swedish coast faces very real consequences. The Berlin Regional Court has sentenced the 66-year-old man to life imprisonment for killing the 71-year-old victim, his longtime friend.
The incident occurred in August 2024 when, following a dispute on their trimaran, the 66-year-old is said to have fatally attacked his sailing partner, who had slipped into the water after a physical altercation. Allegedly, he then swam to the 71-year-old and pushed him underwater until he drowned.
The defence counsel argued that the 66-year-old accused Berliner actually tried to save his friend, but the attempt “tragically failed”.
By chance, a Swedish Coast Guard plane was flying overhead at the time at an altitude of about 1,000 meters and recorded the whole thing. The prosecution, therefore, relied on this footage to explain the series of events in the open water.
Police arrested the defendant shortly after the death of the 71-year-old in Sweden. He has been in pre-trial detention in Berlin since November 2024. The judgment made is not yet final.
