A Turkish national with a criminal record is on trial in Germany, accused of taking part in an attempted contract killing of the estranged wife of a German-Bosnian man that prosecutors say was meant to look like a road accident in Baden-Württemberg.

According to the indictment, Dennis F., 28, who holds Turkish nationality, is believed to have been behind the wheel of a car used to try to kill Theresa K., a 30-year-old mother of one.

Prosecutors say he was hired as part of a paid hit arranged by the woman’s husband, as Bild reported.

The case centers on events from May 23, 2025, in the town of Waldenburg. A Ford Focus estate car drove onto the sidewalk as Theresa K. was walking to pick up her three-year-old daughter from kindergarten. She was struck by the front of the vehicle and thrown over the hood. She suffered injuries to her face, along with bruises and abrasions across her body.

In panic, the injured woman screamed for help and ran onto the kindergarten grounds. The car sped away from the scene and was later recovered from an underground parking garage.

Prosecutors say the attack was no accident. The Heilbronn public prosecutor’s office believes Theresa K.’s former partner, Sasa K., 41, hired two people to kill her. The alleged price for the killing was €15,000, with half of that sum reportedly paid in advance, according to SWR.

The two alleged hitmen are Dennis F. and Natalie G., 33, who is described as German-Russian. According to prosecutors, phone data shows the pair repeatedly visited the area around the kindergarten in the weeks before the attack. Investigators say they were watching Theresa K.’s routine and planning the attack.

Prosecutors also say the couple was struggling financially, and have questioned whether a life insurance policy in the wife’s name formed part of the motive.

All three defendants, who have been in pre-trial detention since June 2025, refused to speak when the trial opened last Thursday.

Theresa K. is a co-plaintiff but is said to still be deeply affected by the attack months later. She is expected to appear in court only to give her testimony.

Defense lawyer Anke Stiefel-Bechdolf told Bild, “The public prosecutor’s office has not yet answered the question of a possible motive,” with jealousy, revenge, and money all possible factors for the alleged hit.

The case is expected to last until March, with no fewer than 90 witness testimonies expected.