Cantonal Court of St. Gallen – Staad infant death appeal process: parents deny guilt of death ++ father speaks of serious loss ++ mother suffered trauma

The two-year-old daughter of the two defendants died in the summer of 2015 in their children’s room. The mother put the decomposed body in a suitcase and hid it in the basement of the family home in Staad. After the discovery, the parents were charged with intentional homicide, violation of the duty of care and parenting and violation of the Narcotics Act and convicted by the Rorschach District Court in late 2018. In its decision, the court changed the charge of “intentional homicide” for “negligent homicide” and punished the mother with a prison sentence of six years and the father with five years.

Father speaks of a grave loss

At the appeal hearing at the Cantonal Court of St. Gallen, the presiding judge first questioned the father of the deceased girl in detail. In a sometimes fragile voice, the 57-year-old Swiss recounted a difficult childhood with several suicides in the family. After he became a father, his job seemed to have problems and he was fired. When asked about his cocaine trade and his own use, he mainly refused to testify. It is alleged that he had bought cocaine for around 180,000 francs. He did not want to know anything about his partner’s cocaine use.

He rejected the accusation of neglecting his daughter physically, mentally, emotionally and medically. The birth of his daughter was a great joy for him. His life has completely changed. He felt the happiest person and vowed to always be there for his son. His mistake was working too stubbornly at the time. That is why he spent time with his wife and daughter, especially on the weekends. But the boy was never alone. There was always someone there.

From one day to the next, her daughter was no longer there. The mother said that the girl was abroad. At that time he was already receiving psychiatric treatment. After finding the boy’s body, he collapsed and had to be admitted to a psychiatric clinic.

The child’s death caused trauma

The judicial interrogation of the mother also lasted more than two hours. From the descriptions of her life so far, it was clear that the German citizen became a mother for the first time at the age of 16 and prostituted herself at a young age. After coming to Switzerland, he first worked in the hotel industry and had two more children. According to her statements, she married the father because the authorities intervened on custody. Subsequently, the marriage fell apart and custody of the two children was revoked.

He did not want to answer most of the questions about his cocaine use. There are many things that you can no longer remember because at that time you were so dependent on medications. When asked about the death of his youngest son, he denied the prosecution’s allegations. He loved his girl and immediately jumped at her first cry, he emphasized. He did not respond when asked how he explained that traces of cocaine were found during the analysis of the girl’s hair.

When she found the dead daughter in bed, she was traumatized, the woman explained. Everything that happened after that could no longer be classified correctly. He did not remember the date of his death, but he still remembered that one morning he found the child lifeless and frozen, he said through tears. So she put him in a warm sweater and stockings. He has not neglected his daughter and is not innocently going to jail.

Evidence too weak to convict

The two defense attorneys for the father and mother indicated that the cause of the minor’s death had not been clarified. You don’t know where, when or what the girl died of. The prosecution could not create clear evidence without speculation. It cannot be ruled out that the daughter died of sudden infant death.

They sought the acquittal of the main charges. The mother had “not handed over” her dead daughter and wanted to keep the body. This is the reason why he took it to the cool basement. The father never saw any signs that the experienced multiplex mother was neglecting her son. If you don’t see any danger, you can’t defend yourself against any.

The prosecutor had filed a cross appeal. He requested a conviction for intentional homicide and an increase in the sentence to 8 years in prison for the father and 10.5 years for the mother. The judgment of the Cantonal Court of Saint Gallen is still pending.

The ticker of the Cantonal Court of Saint Gallen to read: