Hürth poisoning cases – does the defendant have a baby on his conscience?
The public prosecutor’s office is still investigating the Hürth poisoning cases. A suspect is in custody. Does he also have his child on his conscience?
According to the report, the extent of the alleged poisoning in Hürth is possibly greater than previously assumed: A spokesman for the Cologne district court told the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” (KStA) on Tuesday that the recently born infant of the accused’s ex-partner has now died.
Last year, severe thalium poisoning was found in the mother of the now dead infant, and the woman was at times in mortal danger. As a result, it turned out that both the 36-year-old’s grandmother, who died in April last year, and the suspect’s ex-wife, who also died, were victims of thalium poisoning.
Hürth poisoning: ordered an autopsy of an infant
The trail to the accused, who denies the allegations to this day, quickly follows. According to “KStA”, the district court has now ordered an autopsy of the newborn. If it turns out that the accused is also responsible for the death of the child, the 41-year-old would have to answer for another capital crime. The indictment accuses the imprisoned hygiene technician of two counts of murder, attempted murder and attempted termination of pregnancy.
The mother of his mother-in-law, his ex-wife, his former partner and that with a common nature would then possibly die victims of the poisoner from Hürth. Despite all the denials by the accused, the prosecution’s burden of proof weighs heavily, the newspaper reports. Accordingly, a dose of the highly toxic thallium and a syringe with potassium chloride were found in a jacket pocket of the accused – a deadly combination.
He is also said to have found out about the consequences of thallium during pregnancy online and to have read a dissertation on poisoning during pregnancy. Thallium was once used as a rat poison. The signs of poisoning range from tachycardia, cramps or bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidney damage, unconsciousness and coma.