Man throws wife from 22nd floor to save on divorce costs

2026-07-31

A man is on trial in Germany after prosecutors accused him of pushing his wife from the 22nd floor of a Frankfurt hotel to avoid an expensive divorce and secure financial benefits.

The defendant, a 60-year-old German-British man, is facing murder charges before the Landgericht Frankfurt (Frankfurt Regional Court). According to prosecutors, he deliberately killed his wife after deciding that ending the marriage through divorce would be too costly. They allege he wanted to continue a relationship with another woman while also benefiting financially from his wife's inheritance and life insurance.

The couple had been married for 11 years and lived in Rodgau (a town in the Offenbach district) with their two children. Prosecutors say the accused began an affair with a woman nearly 23 years younger in late 2022 after meeting her while working as a volunteer football coach. Although he reportedly promised his wife that the affair had ended, investigators believe he secretly continued the relationship.

Investigators further claim that by April 2023, the man had started researching ways to kill someone without attracting suspicion. Prosecutors allege he carefully planned the crime before pushing his wife from the balcony of a hotel room on the 22nd floor in Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen (a district of Frankfurt). The victim died after falling from the building.

The defense has rejected the allegations and says the accused will not comment on the charges during the trial. Earlier, he reportedly claimed that his wife's death was the result of a tragic accident during an intimate moment. Prosecutors strongly dispute that version, arguing the evidence points to a planned murder driven by greed. The trial is expected to examine extensive circumstantial evidence before the court reaches its verdict.