Father who killed son in Pétange sentenced to life imprisonment
Getty Images
On Thursday, 4 April 2025, the Luxembourg County Criminal Court handed down one of the harshest sentences in the country's modern jurisprudence: a 74-year-old man named André was found guilty of murdering his son David and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The hearing was held in an almost empty hall: the convict, who has been in custody since the tragedy, was not brought to court - during the final session of the previous stage of the trial, he tried to commit suicide right in the hall, inflicting a wound in his neck with a blade hidden earlier.
The crime took place on 29 November 2022 at around 5am in Pétange. A man plunged a knife into his son's chest in the middle of the street. According to the investigation, the murder was the culmination of a protracted and tense conflict within the family, including over Andre's divorce from his ex-wife.
The court sentence includes not only life imprisonment but also financial obligations. The convict must pay more than 50,000 euros in moral damages in favour of the four civil plaintiffs, primarily the other children. He must also pay court costs.
According to the current legislation, the convict has 40 days to file an appeal. At the time of publication, he remains in the detention centre, and his further actions are not yet known.
