The verdict is in accordance with the demand of the prosecutor. On the fateful day FG was staying in the house of a married couple where he often worked as a babysitter. A quarrel between the man and his wife quickly escalated when the man started punching his wife and pulling her hair. The court files indicate that this was not the first time that domestic violence had occurred in that home. But this time FG intervened. The defendant claimed that he wanted to protect the woman and end the violence. He also claimed that he acted in self-defense but the judge rejected this claim because the husband had already stopped assaulting his wife when the stabbing took place. The judge explained that FG left the room, went to the balcony to grab a knife and returned to stab the victim in his neck. “The assault had stopped. The victim had already let go of his wife. There was no immediate threat to justify self-defense. The suspect chose to use a knife against an unarmed person. That is disproportionate,” said Press Judge Alida Johanns.

The trial attracted a lot of media attention because the suspect who was not a relative but the regular babysitter often stayed in the house and knew what was happening within that family. In the end he was dragged into the domestic violence. The defense attorney had asked for an acquittal given the circumstances surrounding this case. Johanns explained that violence can no longer be justified when the situation is over.