A man has been jailed for life for brutally murdering a mother and her nine-year-old daughter over EUR 10 she reportedly owed him for access to his Netflix account.

The car mechanic, who has been named only as Ali H., 34, due to strict local privacy laws and who has three children of his own, has been jailed for life for the murder of his neighbour Homa Zaher, 38, and her nine-year-old daughter, Tajala.

The two victims were found stabbed to death in Berlin, Germany, on 29th February 2020, and the car mechanic, who reportedly came from Afghanistan, was arrested.

The mother suffered 37 stab wounds and was buried under some clothes in her flat, with prayer beads reportedly placed on her corpse.

The defendant protested his innocence, but on the 58th day of trial, he was found guilty, with greed as a motive.

The judge, Dr Sylvia Busch, reportedly said: “No one else is responsible.”

She added: “The child was left behind in a particularly degrading manner.”

The ruling from the judge stated that the victim was also from Afghanistan and had money, while the defendant, her neighbour, regularly gambled and saw his three children placed in the care of the state for over a year, with the ruling stating that he was “no stranger to violence”.

The ruling also said: “He helped with technical problems. Ms Z. cooked for him when his wife was in Afghanistan. He was attracted to her. Possibly wishful thinking. He had asked the bank for a loan of EUR 20,000. Was in the casino. Had a fight with his wife.”

And the ruling also stated: “He set up his neighbour’s Netflix through his account. It stopped working, his account was not covered. He bought a EUR-20 credit, unlocked it at 11:28 am. Decided to ask for money. He knew the woman was alone with the child. She would not have opened to strangers.

“Maybe she offers him EUR 10 euros, that much is later in the hallway. He is angry. Strikes at her. Stabs. She tries to escape. Thirty-seven wounds, an emotionally charged, dynamic event. Possibly wounded to extract the stash of money. Or out of hurt pride due to a lack of attention. She dies in the hallway, his DNA on her hands from defensive injuries.”

Ali H. then looked for her nine-year-old child before entering her room “with the dripping knife. Stabs the child in the neck. Chokes her with a scarf.”

The ruling also reportedly stated: “He performs a burial on the woman. With prayer beads, cloth over her face. Heaps a mountain of clothes over it. seeks money but finds nothing.

“Money and jewellery lie on the kitchen cupboard, also under the carpets in the living room and bedroom. He fetches a large fire extinguisher from his apartment. Drains it completely. Leaves crime scene at 12:24pm. Takes a shower and washes. Changes clothes. Drives with his son to the White Lake. Spends the afternoon with his family.”

His wife, who has not been named, also reportedly withdrew her alibi for him during the trial and stated: “I don’t know where he was for 40 minutes.”

It was reportedly determined that he killed the mother out of greed in order to rob her and murdered the daughter because she witnessed her mother’s killing.

The defendant reportedly did not show any emotion during the trial and can appeal the sentence.

The dead woman’s husband and sister left the courtroom sobbing, according to local media.