Five family members were arrested after a woman died in a two-hour exorcism ritual at a hotel.
The 41-year-old South Korean woman died in what prosecutors described as a “gruesome homicide” at a German hotel.
Police discovered the woman’s body at the Hotel Intercontinental in Frankfurt after the suspects called a priest when it became clear she had died during the ordeal on Saturday, prosecutors said.
Prosecutor Nadja Niesen said the suspects were relatives of the victim and were a 44-year-old woman, her 21-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter, and two 15-year-old boys, one of whom is the son of the dead woman.
"They came to Germany from South Korea six weeks ago and had rented a house in Sulzbach, but didn't stay there much," she said.
Niesen said the suspects wanted to expel a "demon" they believed had possessed the woman. They allegedly exerted "massive force on her chest and stomach area" while stuffing a towel and clothes hanger into her mouth to stop her screaming, she said.
"According to our current information the suspects subjected the victim to pain and agony for at least two hours, and their actions were motivated by a callous and merciless attitude," said Niesen.
"The woman eventually died from asphyxiation as a result of the massive chest compression and violence to her neck," she said.
A second woman, also aged 41, was found inside the garage of the house the family had rented, said Niesen. She was taken to a hospital suffering from hypothermia and dehydration.
"It's not clear exactly what happened to her, we are still investigating that," Niesen said.
