Honour killing story: Liesa Schulte(2012)

Liesa Schulte
born: 1988
strangled: 16/17 April 2012
Residence: Werl (NRW)
Provenance: Victim: Germany; Perpetrator: Kenya
Children: probably none
Perpetrator: her ex-boyfriend Richard John Onyango (24 years)

Richard was born in Kenya, has a German passport, lives in Essen and plays soccer. His girlfriend Liesa works at the Telekom. The relationship lasts 14 months until they split up. Richard asks for a last conversation. Then he strangles her in the night of April 17, 2012. He drives the body with a rental car to a forest near Essen.

Liesa is missing, many are involved in the search. Richard was arrested in May. His brother is also briefly in prison on suspicion of complicity. But it is not until October that the body is found by children in the woods.

The perpetrator is silent in court. His father and brother also remain silent when questioned about the former couple's relationship, which may be an indication of violence. All in all, the perpetrator betrays himself without wanting to. His lawyers demand an acquittal.

Liesa's brother testifies that Richard threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend for the crime. Lisa's mother testifies that Richard wanted his girlfriend only for himself. She has to delete her Facebook account and stop dating her friends.

The regional court of Arnsberg sentences Richard in July 2013 to 12 years and 3 months imprisonment for deliberate manslaughter.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.