Trial Killing of a homeless man in Basel: perpetrator still has delusions

The hearing on an application for custody of a 28-year-old man began at the Basel Criminal Court on Friday morning. He had stabbed a homeless man to death in 2017. The psychiatrist told the court that he was still suffering from "delusions".

This could lead to him carrying out actions that could be dangerous, the expert stated.

"I am not an evil person," said the Brazilian when asked about the crime by the court president. He was a very religious man and was convinced that God only wanted the best. Because of his illness, he often lost control of himself. At the same time, however, he emphasized that he did not hear voices. He had "misunderstood the Bible" at the time.

Due to the high risk of recidivism and to protect the public, the penitentiary system ordered him to be detained. In 2018, the criminal court ordered inpatient psychiatric treatment for the man, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia

SDA