Retrial Begins for Musician Accused of Poisoning Colleagues with Rat Poison
The 64-year-old denies intent to kill, claiming the poisoning was accidental, as the court reexamines allegations following a partial overturn of the original verdict.
- The musician was previously convicted in October 2023 of attempting to poison his mother and two colleagues, receiving a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
- The Federal Court of Justice upheld the conviction for attempting to poison his mother but ordered a retrial for the case involving his colleagues, citing insufficient reasoning on intent to kill.
- The retrial, now underway at the Landgericht Hannover, focuses on whether the musician intended to harm his colleagues by serving them a dip laced with rat poison during a concert tour in 2022.
- The accused claims the poisoning of his colleagues was an accidental mix-up while preparing food and has apologized to the victims in court.
- A verdict in the retrial is expected by March 31, 2025, with the court scrutinizing the musician's motivations and the severity of the victims' health impacts.
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