A killer who stabbed a dad to death in front of his fiancee and their eight-year-old son in a row over a funfair carousel queue has been jailed for life.
Accused Yevgeny Antipov, 21, argued with victim Mark Dreckmann, 31, about who was next in line and pulled a knife from his bag, a court in Muenster, North Rhine-Westphalia state, Germany, heard.
Moments later, said prosecutors, he plunged it into craftsman Dreckmann’s heart and fled the scene.
As his horrified family watched on, Dreckmann bled to death as first aiders and paramedics tried to stem the flow after the attack on Saturday, 18th March, the court heard.
A witness said: “Rescue workers tried to resuscitate the man for ten and 15 minutes. Then it was over.”
Judges were told that Antipov had been out of prison on probation after a rape conviction when he attacked Dreckmann.
At a hearing on Monday, 30th October, Antipov was jailed for life for his murder.
Antipov had admitted the killing but tried to plead guilty to just manslaughter.
He told the court he’d been drinking heavily before the stabbing, binging on vodka and whisky.
Antipov, who turned himself in after four days on the run, said: “I deeply regret what I did.”
Muenster Public Prosecutor said: “The victim’s heart was pierced. Yevgenij Antipov is accused of having maliciously murdered a person.”
The verdict is not yet legally binding and can be appealed.
Muenster Mayor Markus Lewe, 57, said: “The crime is a shock for Muenster. My condolences go out to the victim’s relatives.”
