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Basel-Landschaft Court Sentences Marc Rieben to Life for Murder of Wife

The verdict rejects his self‑defence claim based on forensic evidence of planning and intent.

Overview

  • Marc Rieben was found guilty Wednesday at the Basel-Landschaft Criminal Court in Muttenz and received a life sentence for killing and desecrating the body of his wife, Kristina Joksimovic.
  • Judge Daniel Schmid ordered payments to the couple’s daughters and to Joksimovic’s father, mother, and sister, with 5% interest accruing from the 2024 killing.
  • Prosecutors said Rieben strangled Joksimovic during a divorce dispute, then used a jigsaw, garden shears, a knife, chemicals, and a blender to dispose of her remains, with the autopsy noting the targeted removal of her uterus.
  • The court rejected Rieben’s claim that he acted in self‑defence with a knife attack, pointing to injuries and forensic findings that did not match his account.
  • Proceedings ran under strict access limits with media on videolink, and Joksimovic’s grieving parents were in court as the sentence drew applause outside.