Man allegedly killed his parents and sister before partying with friends
WARNING - DISTURBING DETAILS: A man is accused of partying with friends just days after he allegedly shot his parents and sister in the head with a crossbow and buried them in a field.
Andreas S., 27, met up with mates – whose identities have been withheld due to local privacy laws – on February 18, the court heard on Wednesday.
At the time, they knew nothing about the killings, with the defendant's father and sister already dead for 12 days by that point and his mother dead for eight days.
"Everything was normal. He was always cheerful and in a good mood," one of his former friends, 27, reportedly said.
Andreas S. allegedly began the grim slaughter at his family home in Rovershagen, a city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, on February 7.
He first killed his sleeping 52-year-old father — also called Andreas — by firing four crossbow bolts into the back of his head before slashing his neck with a machete, the court heard.
The crossbow bolts went through his head and out the other side but given that, his father was still apparently alive. Andreas S. then got a machete from the garden shed to finish him off, the court heard.
Prosecutors say he next killed his 25-year-old sister Diana just hours later after luring her to the house claiming he had a surprise for her. They allege Andreas S. made her kneel down in the hall and wear opaque glasses and earmuffs so as not to spoil the surprise.
Then he allegedly shot her three times in the head with the crossbow and stabbed her in the chest, piercing her heart and lungs, catching the blood in a plastic pond liner.
Four days later, on February 11, the accused collected his mother Larissa from the railway station and brought her home. He also told her he had a surprise and persuaded her to wear the glasses before allegedly firing a crossbow bolt into her head and finishing her off with the machete, the court will hear.
Accused filmed firing crossbow bolts
The 27-year-old witness who told the court about the partying said that he was frequently in touch with the defendant between February and March. Previously, in late 2021, he had seen footage showing the defendant firing crossbow bolts into a metal box or car door, which they pierced.
After allegedly murdering his family, Andreas S. is accused of building DIY coffins and using an industrial digger to excavate graves in a field 12 kilometres away, near the Koesterbeck nature reserve, on February 28.
He was arrested in March and an early confession to the triple murder has since been withdrawn, according to local media. It is understood that there was no diminished responsibility. It is still currently unclear why the defendant allegedly murdered his family.
His girlfriend, who has not been named but who was also friends with his dead sister, said that Andreas S. was "funny and always great to be with", adding that they regularly went out to dinner together.
Andreas S.'s mother's boss said she failed to show up for work on February 14 and that her son called him to say she had left home with two suitcases. "It was a strange situation for me," the boss said. The trial continues.
Newsflash/Australscope
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
