The trial of a suspected judicial scandal begins today at the Munich I Regional Court. There the so-called "bathtub murder case" from Rottach-Egern is reopened. The crucial question: Was Manfred Genditzki wrongly imprisoned for 13 years for a murder that never happened?

It is now the third process in this case from October 2008. At that time, Genditzki was working as a caretaker when an 87-year-old resident of the house died in her bathtub. In 2010, the District Court of Munich II sentenced Genditzki to life imprisonment. According to the chamber responsible at the time, Genditzki had drowned the woman in the bathtub. After his defense attorney at the time appealed, a guilty verdict was also reached in a second trial.

The verdict has been final since 2012, since then Genditzki had fought for a resumption of his proceedings, collected donations and used the money to commission new reports.

Last year he was successful: The Munich I Regional Court granted the application for retrial and ordered Genditzki's release from prison - after 4912 days.

Thermodynamic report to provide evidence

Genditzki and his lawyer Regina Rick now want to prove once and for all in the new trial that he did not drown the resident of the house in the bathtub. They assume the old lady had an accident. Above all, this is to be proven by a so-called thermodynamic report.

Accordingly, the elderly woman died much later than previously assumed. "He can't have done it because the old lady died later than originally thought," attorney Rick said shortly before the new trial started. So the time is far too short. "Not even a Russian contract killer can do that," she said. "And besides, he has no motive." For her, the case is "an unparalleled judicial scandal" and "almost unprecedented".

The Munich I Regional Court has scheduled 20 days of negotiations for the new process.