A man is facing a lengthy sentence for choking his ex-wife and two daughters to death after finding out they were planning to move.

The trial against mechanic Ugur S. from the town of Herten, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, began at the Bochum district court on Monday, 13th November.

The 35-year-old Turkish citizen stands accused of choking his ex-wife Rukiye O., 37, and their two daughters, Peri O., aged 8, and Masal O., aged 5, to death on Tuesday, 16th May.

The couple, originally from the Kahramanmaras province in southern Anatolia, Turkey, had moved to Germany together before they divorced in 2019, according to local media reports.

Ugur S., however, had hoped that he would convince his ex-wife to get back together, but on the day of her murder, she told him that she and the children had booked tickets to return to Turkey.

Outraged because Rukiye had planned to leave him for good, the accused allegedly strangled her with his bare hands until she stopped breathing.

He then allegedly did the same with their two daughters and fled the flat.

The victims’ dead bodies were discovered after a 29-year-old friend of Rukiye’s failed to reach her over the phone and was startled when nobody answered the door after she rang the bell the next day.

She then reported the case to the fire department, who broke into the apartment and found the mum and the two children dead on the floor.

Ugur S. was found several hours later after police tracked his phone. He was arrested and allegedly confessed to killing his family.

Spokesperson Ramona Hoerst from the Recklinghausen Police Headquarters said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “During his interrogation, the 35-year-old partner and father of the children confessed and admitted that he had suffocated his wife and daughters.

“He cited previous relationship disputes between him and the woman as the motive.”

At the request of the Bochum Public Prosecutor’s Office, Ugur S. was charged with three counts of manslaughter on Thursday, 18th May.

He has so far reportedly remained silent during the trial.