Sylvia G. was dead in the trunk: Hammer killer commits suicide in JVA

Mannheim – Is this death his confession?

︎ Gerd G. (66) is said to have murdered his wife Sylvia († 64) in June 2022 in their shared house in Sinsheim (Baden-Württemberg) with a hammer. Now he killed himself.

“The accused died in the night from Friday to Saturday in the Mannheim correctional facility – presumably by suicide -” according to a statement from the Heidelberg Regional Court.

A spokeswoman for the district court explains that the criminal proceedings are being discontinued, that the upcoming trial dates are canceled and that the public prosecutor’s office has opened proceedings on the cause of death.

Defender Jens Klein did not want to comment on Saturday’s BILD request. Gerd G. never commented on the fact, was silent even at the start of the process in mid-January. The verdict was due on February 8th.

That’s how it happened

According to investigations by the police and prosecutors, Gerd G. is said to have killed his wife on the morning of June 23 in the white residential building with a bay window. Apparently, completely surprisingly, he is said to have attacked Sylvia G. and hit her in the head with a heavy object, probably a hammer. The woman died a short time later from her injuries.

Her body was found in the trunk

After that, Gerd G. packed her body in the trunk of her black Ford Fiesta and finally parked the small car at the site where it was found, on the edge of the commercial area in Sinsheim in the immediate vicinity of the stadium. According to BILD information, Sylvia G’s corpse had a plastic bag over her head at the time, apparently because Gerd G. couldn’t stand the sight of his dead wife.

To cover up the crime, he reported his wife missing to the police along with his son and daughter. The woman wanted to visit relatives but did not come back. But traces of blood in the family home and the victim’s mobile phone data quickly confirmed the suspicion against Gerd G. and led to an arrest warrant against him.

Did Sylvia have to die because she wanted to separate?

The investigators named malice and greed as murder characteristics in the indictment: Gerd G. tried to get the survivor benefits in the event of his wife’s death. According to BILD information, there were also rumors of separation – Sylvia wanted to end the relationship.