German farmer jailed for drowning wife in liquid manure

BERLIN — A 55-year-old farmer in Germany has been convicted of drowning his wife in liquid manure in 2018, after a court dismissed his claim that she fell into a slurry pit by accident.

German news agency dpa reported that the Augsburg regional court on Wednesday sentenced the defendant to 13½ years in prison for manslaughter.

Judges in the Bavarian city said they had “no doubt” the 51-year-old woman had fallen victim to a violent crime. The defendant’s lawyer said they would appeal

In a separate case, a court in the southern city of Ellwangen convicted a 48-year-old German man of killing his estranged wife last year by pouring gasoline over her and setting her alight. Prosecutors said the 45-year-old victim died in a fiery blast.

The defendant was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for murder.

In Germany, 123 women were killed by their current or former partners in 2018.