German court convicts woman for killing boyfriend with circular saw during sex

Woman claims man was abusive and killing was not planned

Image of woman in handcuffs/ (iStock )

A woman has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for killing her boyfriend with a circular saw while they were having sex.

The Munich court found that the woman, referred to as Gabriele attacked her boyfriend in 2008 while he was tied to a bed and wearing blacked-out swimming goggles, according Deutsche Welle.

The literature student, named only as Alexander H under German privacy laws died from wounds to his upper body and torso.

His family had initially thought his disappearance was the result of running away to Romania.

Judge Michael Höhne called the killing “bizarre” and said that it fulfilled the criteria of a “nightmare scenario”.

The 32-year-old student was found guilty of manslaughter, rather than murder, despite the prosecution pushing for a life sentence.

The circumstances that led to Gabriele’s decision to kill her boyfriend remain unclear. She kicked him out of their home shortly before the incident took place. He had returned to the attic they share, whereupon he blindfolded himself – a common occurrence – and they proceeded to have sex.

He asked Gabriele to tie him to the bed, whereupon she took the saw and cut into his neck and chest.

She kept his body under her bed for months, until a new boyfriend - Christian - discovered it and, along with a friend, helped to bury it in the garden.

Christian and the other person involved, were sentenced to two years and eight months, and one year and nine months respectively.

Gabriele insists that Alexander was sexually abusive, and that the killing was not planned.

She said: "How am I supposed to explain something that I do not understand myself?”

Her lawyer called the killing a “desperate act”.