Subject after seven years: suspected murder on cruise!

Ein deutsches Berufungsgericht hat das Mordurteil gegen einen Mann aufgehoben, dessen Frau während einer Kreuzfahrt verschwand.
A German Court of Appeal lifted the murder judgment against a man whose wife disappeared during a cruise. (Symbolbild/ER)

Subject after seven years: suspected murder on cruise!

Civitavecchia, Italien - A German IT expert was acquitted of the allegation of murder of his wife after an appellate court in Rome had decided that there was no sufficient evidence. The court previously highlighted a judgment that had sentenced the man to 26 years in prison. The case that caused a stir in 2017 concerned the mysterious disappearance of the woman during a Mediterranean cruise.

The man and his Chinese woman traveled together with her two little sons, at the age of 4 and 6, on the cruise ship "MSC Magnifica". After ten days in the Italian port of Civitavecchia, the woman was suddenly no longer on board. During the investigation, speculation arose that the husband could have killed his wife and possibly thrown overboard.

examination and arrest

The father, who now lives in Ireland, was arrested at Rome at the airport and was custody. However, he had not yet had to start his prison. In the meantime, the man said that his wife had left on board at a stop in Greece. This statement remained controversial because there has been no body to date that could support the allegation of the murder.

The court finally found that the first instance judgment was "without the slightest logical and law justification". The man's acquittal stands in the context of the basic questions about the evidence in murder cases on cruise ships, where seclusion is often seen as a backdrop for criminal acts. Experts emphasize that the isolated location and the mix of vacation and freedom can create the perfect conditions for crimes that are difficult to educate

As the case shows, the disappearance of people on cruises remains a complex and urgent topic. Lawyers and criminologists deal with the necessary legal and security framework to avoid future incidents.

The case is still observed by the media and rejected questions about traveling on cruise ships. The reporting on this is increasingly discussed in both legal and criminological experts

.

For more information about murder cases on cruises and their backgrounds see Süddeutsche for detailed analysis.

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OrtCivitavecchia, Italien
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