German woman, partner face trial for "doppelganger murder" plot to fake her own death

A German woman, Sharaban K, and a 25-year-old man are facing trial for the alleged “doppelganger murder,” accused of orchestrating a gruesome plot to murder a woman resembling Sharaban K in order to fake her own death. The 24-year-old and her alleged accomplice deny the charges, but prosecutors claim they selected a victim, promised her free beauty salon treatment, and then brutally killed her, intending to assume a new identity. Court documents reveal that Sharaban K, of German-Iraqi descent, scoured Instagram for women resembling her and enticed them with various promises. The chosen victim, a 23-year-old woman named Khadidja O of Algerian origin, was offered free treatment at a beauty salon. The prosecution alleges that she was then brutally attacked, stabbed 56 times, and struck on the head during a car journey from Eppingen to Ingolstadt in Bavaria. The victim’s dead body was abandoned in a forest. As per the reports, the murder was initially believed as Sharaban K’s own death. Authorities, however, apprehended both suspects the following day when spotted in a local pizzeria. Reports suggest that Sharaban K’s family, hailing from a Yazidi community in northern Iraq, and her failed marriage may have motivated the attempt to fake her own death. Additional charges were filed against the duo, including an alleged plot to hire a contract killer for the murder of Sharaban K’s former partner’s brother. Despite a €5,000 deposit, the hitman did not carry out the killing. Furthermore, while in custody, the male suspect is accused of attempting to solicit another inmate to murder witnesses in the case. The trial’s first day faced significant delays as defense lawyers argued that recent document submissions by prosecutors required additional examination time, seeking a suspension of proceedings. Prosecutors countered that such submissions were not unusual after an indictment. The court is expected to rule on the suspension request next week, shedding light on a bizarre case involving identity deception, murder, and alleged criminal conspiracies.