On November 29, a tragic incident occurred in the city of Dusseldorf in the North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany, where a mother and her two-month-old daughter, both Chinese nationals, were killed. The 31-year-old mother was a government-sponsored student studying abroad. The perpetrator of this heinous crime was identified as her 43-year-old Slovakian husband, who confessed to the murders on the spot.
According to reports from “The Paper,” the husband of the victim inflicted injuries upon himself after the incident. Police found a knife and an axe at the crime scene inside the house where the tragedy unfolded.
Authorities have preliminarily determined that the suspect is involved in intentional homicide. An arrest warrant has been issued for him, but due to his severe injuries, he is currently undergoing treatment in the hospital and has not yet undergone interrogation or detention procedures.
According to reports from mainland Chinese media, the deceased woman, named Zhu Ruimin, hailed from a coastal province in northern China. She completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees domestically before being sent to Germany on a government scholarship in 2020 to pursue a Ph.D. in biology. Zhu Ruimin had been supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation and the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province.
Her husband, Erik Jovanec, is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Plant Biochemistry at the University of Dusseldorf. His public records indicate that he had previously experienced studying in a prominent laboratory at a university in Shandong.
Zhu Ruimin and her Slovakian husband officially registered their marriage in 2024 and welcomed a baby girl just this past September.
As of now, official details regarding the case have not been disclosed. Authorities have only stated that there is no evidence implicating a third party in the crime. The results of the autopsy report and forensic analysis are expected to be made public in the coming days.
German police have mentioned that whether the charges will be upgraded to murder or remain as homicide will depend on the results of the ongoing investigation and forensic evaluations.