When Matthias Rohde turned towards the woman sitting in the defendant’s dock and said, “We are a couple,” the courtroom in Rostock fell into a moment of disbelief. After two days of questioning, the father of eight-year-old Fabian had delivered a statement that appeared to challenge the assumptions surrounding one of Germany’s most closely watched murder trials.
The hearing in late April 2026 left presiding judge Holger Schütt visibly taken aback. The man standing before the court was not only the father of the child whose death is being investigated, but also the former partner of the woman accused of killing him.
According to prosecutors, Gina Auerbach murdered Fabian in October 2025, stabbing the eight-year-old six times before taking his body to a remote pond in the Mecklenburg Lake District and setting it on fire. Auerbach, who is 30, has not admitted to the allegations and has remained silent during the trial.
The prosecution’s theory is that Auerbach killed Fabian in the hope of restoring her relationship with Rohde after their separation. Investigators have described a motive connected to jealousy and a desire to regain a relationship that had ended. Rohde and Auerbach had been together for around four years before their breakup.
The case has drawn further attention because, after Fabian’s death, Rohde and Auerbach reunited. The development has added another layer of complexity to a trial already centred on conflicting accounts, unanswered questions and a family tragedy.
The article, originally published by Die Zeit, examines the events surrounding Fabian’s death and the proceedings now taking place at the Rostock Regional Court.
Before their separation, Auerbach had been part of Fabian’s life as a stepmother figure. Around the time of Fabian’s school enrolment in 2023, the relationship between father and son became strained. Fabian told his mother that he had seen his father hit Gina Auerbach and no longer wanted to stay at the family home in Krakow am See, where he had previously spent half of his time under a shared-care arrangement.
Fabian’s mother, Dorina Meyer, told the court that after the separation between Rohde and Auerbach, her son was delighted to spend more time with his father again. Rohde himself had previously written to Meyer that Auerbach had “manipulated” him and affected the amount of attention he gave to Fabian.
Prosecutors say Auerbach attempted to rebuild the relationship after the separation but failed, partly because Rohde wanted to maintain his connection with his son.
Investigators have presented a series of indications they believe point towards Auerbach’s involvement. Prosecutors highlighted messages sent by Auerbach in the days before Fabian’s death, including references to a future “without all these damn attachments”. They have questioned whether this included Fabian and her own younger son.
Police also say Auerbach’s distinctive orange pickup truck was captured by a surveillance camera near Fabian’s home on the day he disappeared, during the period when Fabian last used his mobile phone. Investigators said her own phone, which she normally used extensively, was switched off for around 90 minutes at the suspected time of the crime.
Before the child’s body was discovered, prosecutors say Auerbach photographed a forest path near the eventual location where Fabian was found and searched online whether wild boars eat dead humans. They also allege she asked a friend to provide a false account of her whereabouts as an alibi.
In the days after Fabian disappeared, investigators say Auerbach brought several people to the remote waterhole where the child’s remains were later found. The location was around 80 metres from a field path at the edge of woodland. Questions remain about what those witnesses observed and why the police were only alerted to the discovery the following morning.
Fabian’s disappearance began when his mother returned home from work at a drugstore in Güstrow shortly before 3.30pm and found that he was missing. His phone had been left behind on the sofa in the family’s two-room flat. Police launched a search involving helicopters, divers and tracking dogs before discovering his burned body four days later.
Six months on, Meyer sits in court as a joint plaintiff facing the woman accused of killing her son. She remains largely motionless during proceedings, focused on the testimony and occasionally looking towards Auerbach.
The trial has also placed intense focus on Matthias Rohde’s own statements. During questioning, the father displayed significant gaps in his memory, according to the court proceedings. He struggled to recall conversations with police officers, discussions with Auerbach shortly before Fabian’s disappearance and phone calls made on the day investigators believe Fabian died.
Previously, Rohde had told police he believed Auerbach was capable of harming Fabian and described her as driven by jealousy. In court, however, he defended her and rejected earlier statements as false.
When questioned by the judge about evidence against Auerbach, Rohde said he would expect proof such as blood traces, fingerprints, tyre marks or shoe prints. Yet when asked whether such evidence would be enough, he replied that it depended on the circumstances.
Rohde spoke warmly about Auerbach, describing her as loving, sensitive and strong-willed. During those comments, tears appeared on Auerbach’s face for the first time during the proceedings, while Fabian’s mother sat nearby.
The court has also examined the tensions within the former relationship. Messages presented during the trial showed arguments about time, trust and Rohde’s contact with other women, including Fabian’s mother. Several witnesses previously told police that Auerbach’s controlling behaviour and intense jealousy contributed to the breakup, claims Rohde disputed during his testimony.
Following his testimony, prosecutors in Rostock launched an investigation into Rohde on suspicion of making false statements.
The trial is scheduled to continue until September 2026. Several questions remain unresolved, including how the person responsible for Fabian’s death knew the child would be at home that morning. A psychiatric assessment of Auerbach is expected to play a significant role before the proceedings conclude, while Fabian’s father is also expected to face further scrutiny before a verdict is reached.
