Sascha and Maja Wensing, both aged 40, have been sentenced to life in prison for torturing and killing their three-year-old daughter, Lea, in Dinslaken, Germany. The incident occurred in October 2023 when the parents confined Lea to the basement of their apartment. During her six-day ordeal, she was bound, gagged, and subjected to inhumane treatment.
Messages exchanged between Sascha and Maja revealed their intense hatred for their daughter and their plan to kill her. Maja expressed her frustration, calling Lea derogatory names, while Sascha detailed methods of restraint that led to Lea choking on her own vomit.
After Lea's death, Sascha disposed of her body in the Rhine-Herne Canal and falsely reported her death as an accident to the police. A dive team later recovered the body, and a post-mortem examination confirmed the extent of the torture and abuse.
The Duisburg regional court delivered the life sentences, emphasizing the particularly heinous nature of the crime. The sentences mandate that the couple will spend at least 25 years in prison.