Katarina Jovanovic, a 28-year-old woman from Germany, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for manslaughter after dropping her newborn daughter from a window. The incident occurred on September 12, 2023, in the town of Lauffen am Neckar, where Jovanovic secretly gave birth at her apartment. Shortly after the birth, she dropped her baby girl from the window, which was approximately 12 feet above the ground. The infant suffered fatal injuries, including a shattered skull, as a result of the fall.
Jovanovic's trial began in April 2024, where she admitted to dropping her newborn daughter but could not explain her actions. Prosecutors argued that Jovanovic deliberately hid her pregnancy and that the baby's death was premeditated, driven by her fear that motherhood would ruin her career as an executive in PORSCHE'S legal department. However, the court accepted the defense's argument that Jovanovic was in an exceptional psychological state after giving birth unexpectedly and accidentally dropped the baby.
Despite the defense's plea for a lesser sentence, the court sentenced Jovanovic to seven and a half years in prison. The case has sparked widespread outrage and debate about the pressures women face in balancing their careers and motherhood, as well as the tragic consequences of neglecting the well-being of a newborn child.