Brazilian justice releases German consul accused of murdering his husband – get some background information

The Brazilian judiciary has ordered the release of German consul Uwe Herbert Hahn, accused of killing his husband Walter Henri Biot, a Belgian citizen, in the Ipanema district of southern Rio de Janeiro.

Judge Rosa Helena Penna Macedo granted the request of the suspect’s defense, considering that the time for pronouncing the sentence had been significantly exceeded.

“The suspect has been in pretrial detention since Aug. 7, 2022, and according to the information on the Court’s website, the complaint has not been filed until today, nine days after the expiration of the legal deadline of ten days,” reads the judge’s statement, reported a news portal.

Earlier, on Aug. 9, two days after the arrest, the same judge had rejected the diplomat’s release, saying there were “no illegalities” in Hahn’s detention.

The consul was arrested Sunday, Aug. 7, as a possible suspect in connection with the death of his husband. The latter’s body was found in an apartment with about 30 injuries that could indicate sadomasochistic practices.

Biot, who had been married to Hahn for 23 years, died of subarachnoid hemorrhage, cranial contusion, and craniocerebral trauma caused by blunt impact, according to the autopsy, according to the Medical-Legal Institute of Rio de Janeiro, cited by the newspaper O Globo.

The body had 30 injuries, such as chemosis, abrasions, and other wounds on the arms, legs, torso, and head, which experts said were not consistent with a fall, according to the German diplomat.

“The injuries are not typical of a fall from that height and are distributed among different parts of the body, including the so-called natural defense areas such as forearms, hands, and legs, as well as the fatal head injuries,” police spokeswoman Camila Lourenço said.

“Most of the wounds are recent ecchymoses, but there is also evidence of older wounds,” she said. “The nature, format, and distribution of these injuries indicate a sadomasochistic practice, so further investigation is needed,” she said.

The German diplomat alerted emergency services last Friday, claiming the Belgian had fallen. He later told officials that her husband was taking medication to help him sleep and drank heavily almost daily.

BACKGROUND

New testimony has revealed details about the case of German consul Uwe Herbert Hahn, 60, suspected of killing Belgian husband Walter Henri Maximilien Biot, 52, in Rio de Janeiro. The death occurred on Friday (5) and led to the arrest of the foreign consular officer in flagrante delicto.

Rio de Janeiro civil police found that Hahn had constant quarrels with his husband and that they had been married for 23 years, but that Biot recently broke up the marriage and went to Belgium, all paid for by a local friend. Three months later he returned and resumed the marriage. Both moved to Haiti.

INHERITANCE

A Spanish friend, whose name was not given by police, reported that the friend who paid for the victim’s return trip to Belgium died, leaving Biot an inheritance of 600,000 euros (US$600,000).

The arguments became more frequent then because the Belgian no longer depended on his husband’s money. The German repeated that he would never have problems with the police as a diplomat.

Also, according to the Spanish friend’s testimony, the German consul was considered a control freak and humiliated his husband.

BROKEN OBJECTS AND BRUISES

A cleaning woman who worked for the couple also described their relationship in a statement to the investigation. She said she saw “in April or May” that the pantry door and a kitchen cabinet glass were broken as if a blow or object had hit them.

The woman also said that “two or three times” this year, she noticed bloodstains on the pillowcase used by Biot and a cut on the Belgian’s forehead in July.

In WhatsApp messages on July 17, Biot’s brother received a photo with bruises and the caption, “All hell breaks loose here with Uwe,” and that he was looking for the police. The relative then encouraged him to do so. “Don’t worry, have courage”.

BEATINGS

Forensic experts found more than 30 injuries in the Belgian’s death on various parts of his body. The injuries include bruises (contusions) and abrasions (cuts and scratches) distributed on different parts such as arms, legs, torso, and head.

In the face only, the IML document shows four injuries, one of which is to the lower lip. There are at least six injuries in the torso area.

There are ten more injuries in the area of the arms and hands. The experts also found wounds on the anus and six more on the legs.

In a statement, the diplomat claimed that Biot had a sudden outburst, ran onto the terrace, tripped over a carpet, and fell face-first onto the floor.

According to Hahn, his companion kept groaning after the fall. He said he could not judge whether they were expressions of pain or incoherent moans.

For Deputy Camila Lourenço of the 14th PD (Leblon), who is investigating the case, the Belgian man lived in an abusive relationship and was a victim of domestic violence.

She said she had no doubt that the version told by the German, that his husband suddenly got up from the couch, ran out, and fell face down on the floor, was a lie. “It was a sequence of blows.”