A Macedonian male is standing trial for the murder of 81-year-old victim Michael P., who was spending a quiet evening at home when he was bound, gagged, and died in agony.
The retired florist lived alone in a large house and rented out rooms to seasonal workers to make ends meet. However, 35-year-old Demirali Z. happened to be one of these tenants, who is now on trial for murder at Darmstadt Regional Court.
According to the indictment, the Macedonian national had no permanent residence in Germany. He had entered the country with two compatriots in search of work, and the three men rented rooms in Michael P.’s house in Biblis, Hesse.
🇩🇪🔴German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under fire from the left for tying exploding violence with mass immigration.
"We have an explosion of violence in our society…Then we also need to talk about where this violence comes from. And then we must also address the fact that a… pic.twitter.com/ZPDuI4eHnv
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) March 27, 2026Prosecutors say they knew the pensioner kept cash at home, according to Bild.
On Feb. 9, 2025, Z. and an accomplice allegedly gained access to the victim’s apartment and “bound and gagged him using massive force” in order to rob the victim, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
The pair tore apart the apartment and discovered €26,000 in cash, a debit card, and a gold chain before fleeing by car toward their home country.
Michael lay on the floor fighting for his life, as he was still gagged. When his daughter Angelika arrived at his house hours later, she discovered his lifeless body, still bound and gagged. The 81-year-old has died in “hours-long death throes,” according to prosecutors, as the gag had smothered his mouth and left him without enough oxygen.
Defendant blames his accomplices
In court, Demirali Z. denied all the charges, saying the perpetrators were Z. and S., who he said had brought him to Germany with a promise of work. However, no work was available. Nevertheless, the trio had already paid rent to the pensioner.
Demirali Z. said that on the day of the murder, it was S. and Z. who demanded the rent back from the pensioner and forced him into the living room. They then instructed Demirali Z. to help restrain him.
“Unfortunately, I did that,” his lawyer read out on his behalf.
However, he insisted: “I didn’t want the man to die and ran out of the room.”
He also denied having received any share of the stolen money.
The trial is ongoing.
Michael P. was the victim of another robbery
The February killing mirrors an earlier home invasion. In 2016, Michael P. and his wife were robbed in their home by two unmasked, unknown men who demanded €30,000. Unable to pay, Michael offered to withdraw the money from the bank the following day.
The intruders agreed to the arrangement — but his wife called the police instead. That case has never been solved.
