Murdered 17-year-old Tabitha was found near the river Enz in Unterriexingen

Tabitha E.
Born: 2005
Murdered: 12 July 2022
Residence: Asperg (near Stuttgart)
Origin: Victim: Germany; Offender: Syria
Children: none
Perpetrator: Naiem A. (35 years old at the time of the crime)

Tabitha is in 11th grade at a school in Ludwigsburg and still lives with her parents in Asperg, Baden-Württemberg. On July 12, 2022, she goes from there to Ludwigsburg in the afternoon - allegedly to go shopping - and does not return.

The 17-year-old is missing for 5 days, and on July 17 her body is found in Markgröningen-Unterriexingen, Ludwigsburg district. A suspect is arrested: Naiem is said to be a construction worker, possibly also a drug dealer. It is possible that he is or was with Tabitha, although he is more than twice her age (if his age is correct. There are neighbors who think he is younger).

Whether there is an honor motive is completely open - the arrested man remains silent.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.