When men murder their wives, partners, or ex‑partners, they do so especially often with a knife and in the places where the women live.
This finding comes from a comprehensive data analysis by Stern. A reporter team requested court rulings on all publicly disclosed cases from 2024 – and evaluated 57 of them. These are the most up‑to‑date and comprehensive facts available nationwide on the subject.
Accordingly, the most dangerous place for women is their own home. In 45 of the 57 cases for which a judgement was handed down, the women were found dead in their own or in a shared apartment or house. Three women were killed where the perpetrator or alleged perpetrator lived. By far the most frequently used weapon was a knife: in 37 of 57 cases. Firearms were used in only two cases – a crossbow and a pistol.
The offenders’ ages ranged from 18 to 76 years, while those of the victims ranged from 18 to 84. Notably, a disproportionate number of convicted men had a migration background. In 25 of the 57 cases, the perpetrators were migrants. The most common origin was Romania, followed by Turkey.
The same applies to the murdered women. The proportion of foreign victims was above average when measured against the total population. Experts explain this clustering of migrant victims by the fact that these women are more likely to be dependent on their partners and face greater difficulties in accepting help – partly due to language barriers.
The analysed cases from 2024, according to Stern, suggest primarily a motive tied to the woman’s separation from her partner. A somewhat less frequent sign was that the man viewed his wife as his property or killed her out of jealousy or wounded pride.