Murder trial: Life sentence for defendant in Fabian case

According to the indictment, the convicted woman killed the eight-year-old boy with six stab wounds and then set the body on fire. The defense saw too many questions unanswered and pleaded for acquittal. The public prosecutor spoke of a closed chain of evidence and demanded a life sentence. The defendant herself has repeatedly protested her innocence during the trial, which has been ongoing since April.

On the penultimate day of the trial, she had already announced in her last word that she would appeal if she was found guilty. “I will fight until I am free again,” she said. Her defense lawyers had referred to the principle “in dubio pro reo” – in case of doubt for the defendant – in their demand for an acquittal.

The murder of the primary school student from Güstrow caused a nationwide stir in October 2025. Hundreds of police officers had been searching for the boy for days. On October 14th, the body of a child was found in a small agricultural pond near Klein Upahl, southwest of Güstrow. The body was identified a short time later as Fabian.

Of all people, it was the defendant who reported the find to the police. She initially told the officers that she had discovered the dead child by chance while walking with her friend and dogs. She later admitted that she had been to the site twice the previous evening, each time with a different acquaintance.

The defendant and the victim's father are in a relationship again

The defendant was in a relationship with Fabian's father for years before the relationship ended in August last year. According to the public prosecutor's office, she believed that Fabian was standing in the way of continuing the relationship with his father. In fact, according to Fabian's father, the two are a couple again. In recent months he has also looked after the horses of the woman, who has been in custody since November 7th last year.

Fabian's mother personally attended almost all days of the trial with her lawyer Christina Habetha. Before his disappearance, her son had stayed at home due to illness while she went to work. When the mother returned, the child was no longer there. She was the first witness to testify in the trial and described her son as loving and attentive. “All I can say is that I was incredibly proud of him.”

At the time, Güstrow's mayor Sascha Zimmermann spoke of a kind of paralysis in the town with 30,000 inhabitants, where funeral services were held with a large turnout.

The criminal trial attracted great public interest from the start. Long queues of spectators often formed in front of the court early in the morning. The large hall 2,002 was filled to capacity even on the last hearing date. Dozens of journalists were accredited.