Bride's father died at wedding: son sentenced to 4 years in prison

2023-11-20 10:10:00

He had pleaded guilty at the start of the trial. The judgment is not final.

Father and son are said to have argued at the wedding of the defendant’s sister. According to the indictment, the incident occurred during an “alcoholic and emotional argument.” The defendant also described this during his interrogation: “I accused my father of not being there for me when I was a child.” Then the momentous argument arose. “But my father hit me first,” he defended himself.

“The argument simply escalated”

The defendant explained that he then “hit him with his fist without thinking.” The argument simply escalated: “First we argued in the hallway in front of the toilets, then it continued in the parking lot.” After his father hit him, he “felt pain,” but “was not emotionally hurt.” “The relationship with the father wasn’t good; we hadn’t had any contact for six years,” he said, describing the relationship.

The prosecutor had previously stated in her opening statement that the incident “cannot be surpassed in terms of tragedy.” But it is also a fact that the defendant “hit back with a powerful punch.” His defense attorney didn’t put that into perspective either, but he did point out: “But there is a history.” After the father’s beating, a “criminally relevant emotional reaction” occurred. Since his client is blameless, there doesn’t have to be a “harsher sentence” because such an act doesn’t fit with his “other character” at all.

After the punch, the 63-year-old fell on the asphalt in the parking lot in front of the inn where the wedding reception took place. He suffered a ruptured blood vessel in his brain. The man was resuscitated on the spot but later died in hospital. The 32-year-old son was arrested that same evening.