The 21-year-old defendants Sebastian F. and Xenia I. are accused of luring the 25-year-old student to an empty apartment in May last year before brutally raping her and leaving her to die.

The pair have thus far remained silent during the trial, until Monday when Xenia I. read a statement in court, explaining how she had been abused by her boyfriend Sebastian F. for years.

She said he had often forced her to take part in sexual acts that she did not want to do, used violence against her, hit her, threatened her, and humiliated her. While she read the statement, she broke into tears as her boyfriend showed no emotion, folded his arms and looked down.

Xenia I. further said her boyfriend had insisted on drawing the 25-year-old young woman to the apartment, where she was raped multiple times and then abandoned for hours by the couple, who thought she would die.

When she did not die immediately, the pair dragged her outside behind a portable toilet, where she was found dead a day later, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

The case has attracted particular attention because Sebastian F’s mother is a police officer, and his stepfather is leader of the local police precinct. The mother was also a part of the investigation, interviewing classmates of the victim.

When the case was reported publicly, young woman from Bavaria reported that Sebastian F. had twice raped her, but that when she planned to report him, he threatened that he could use the influence of his stepfather against her.