Kiel District Court begins trial for attempted manslaughter

A trial has commenced at the Kiel District Court regarding a 35-year-old man accused of attempted manslaughter. The case stems from an incident in January at a supervised living facility in Dersau, where the defendant allegedly attacked a roommate in a wheelchair by strangling him.

The defendant, who has mental impairments and is currently held in a psychiatric facility in Neustadt in Holstein, does not deny the physical altercation but rejects the intent to kill. His defense argues the act was an impulsive reaction intended to protect an elderly woman from the wheelchair user. The defendant described a history of instability, including childhood bullying and a difficult upbringing following the death of his father.