A 19 year old German girl has been brutally stabbed and burned to death by her ex boyfriend because she was carrying his child, and he didn’t want to become a father.

The girl, known as Maria P., was found in woodland in Berlin-Aldershof. Forensic evidence suggests she tried to flee whilst on fire.

Two suspects have been detained in custody: a 19 year old man known as T. Eren, who had recently been notified by social services that he had been named as the father of the child carried by Maria; and M. Daniel, a friend of this.

Maria, who was heavily pregnant, was held by one of the men whilst the other knifed her twice in her belly, before the pair set fire to her. The brutal murder appears to have been pre-meditated. Martin Steltner, speaking for the prosecution said “Her ex-boyfriend did not want to keep their child.”

The murder is understood to have taken place last Thursday night. Maria’s charred body was found on Friday morning by passers-by.

Eren is understood to be of Turkish descent. There has been some suggestion that he was pressurised to split from Maria, despite her conversion to Islam, because his family deemed her unsuitable for his son. It has also been suggested that the murder was an ‘honour killing’, carried out to revenge dishonour brought upon the family.

It is known that Eren urged Maria to have an abortion a number of times, and that she felt threatened by him, even contacting the police on one occasion. But Maria, who was due to give birth within a matter of weeks, was looking forward to becoming a mother.

Isabella Heuser, head of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Berlin said that the case was very unusual. “The perpetrator has not only killed the woman, but also attempted to murder their own child in her womb,” she said.

Heuser is also of the opinion that the known facts point to the murder being pre-meditated. “The offender had a knife, and Maria was doused with gasoline. He brought a helper with him. The available evidence suggests that the deed was prepared … making it all the more horrifying.”