Crime & Justice 4 min read 58m ago

Phone Data Challenges Murder Trial Alibi

A forensic investigator told the court that Gina H.'s mobile phone data shows her handset stationary for a period he said was too short to have reached a bank in Güstrow,
A camera recorded an orange Ford Ranger in Fabian's street between 10:43 and 10:54 on the day the eight-year-old vanished, though it remains unproven that the vehicle belonged to
Movement data from 9 and 11 October 2025 was also scrutinised, with investigators saying the records may indicate further unaccounted visits to the area near where Fabian's body

A German murder trial has heard detailed forensic analysis of mobile phone data that investigators say undermines the alibi offered by the defendant, a woman identified as Gina H., for the morning that eight-year-old Fabian disappeared.

Alibi tested by movement records

Gina H. had stated that on the morning in question she travelled to a bank in Güstrow. A senior detective presenting the newly decrypted smartphone data told the court that this account appeared inconsistent with what the handset recorded. Between 10:43 and 10:52, the device registered no movement. The investigator stated that the nearest cash machine was at least three minutes away by car and nine minutes on foot from Fabian's home address. "That would not have been enough time to reach a bank," he told the court. "Neither by car nor on foot." Following that period of stillness, the data shows the device moving again by vehicle.

Camera footage and the orange pick-up

Separately, a camera recorded an orange Ford Ranger in Fabian's street between 10:43 and 10:54 on the day he vanished. The prosecution has noted that Fabian's own mobile phone display was last active at 10:51. Whether the vehicle captured on camera belonged to Gina H. has not been established, and the court has not treated the footage as conclusive on that point.

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Earlier dates under scrutiny

The court also examined data from 9 October 2025. Records show Gina H.'s handset stationary from 13:09 to 14:26, with the calendar and calculator applications briefly accessed at around 14:25, followed by a short period of walking. Investigators had previously assessed a chance encounter between Gina H. and Fabian as possible at approximately that time. The expert noted that a portion of the data from that period was not saved until roughly ninety minutes later, but was unable to explain why.

Records from 11 October show a vehicle journey between 16:49 and 17:22. A witness reported seeing a young woman with a dog near the village of Klein Upahl at around the same time, and a separate witness described a pick-up truck travelling towards and then rapidly away from the location where Fabian's body was later found. Whether Gina H. was present in that area on that occasion cannot be confirmed from the data alone, the investigator acknowledged.

Night-time movements and the pond

Movement data from the night of Fabian's disappearance also featured in proceedings. Between 20:58 and 21:28, the handset alternated several times between motion and stillness. The device's display was activated three times during that window, remaining on for five minutes on one occasion without any further interaction being recorded. The investigator said the data appeared consistent with a route taken on foot with a person identified as Christian D., as well as later searches conducted with two further individuals, Olaf K. and Heike M.

Hearing adjourned until Friday

Judge Holger Schütt closed the day's proceedings at 17:54. Much of the afternoon had been given over to technical questions from judges, lawyers and other parties about the reliability of the decrypted database records, including debates over data structures and timestamps and the degree to which specific movements could be reconstructed with confidence. The trial is due to resume on Friday at 09:30, when the analysis of digital evidence is expected to continue.