A dominatrix, known as "Lady Susanna," who once openly discussed her sadistic tendencies in a podcast, is now on trial at the Munich I Regional Court. She stands accused of murder, allegedly having beaten a long-time client to death last summer. The prosecution claims the motive was greed: the 62-year-old Munich resident had named the dominatrix as his sole heir and reportedly threatened to remove her from his will.
The courtroom was packed on the first day, with significant media interest, likely due to the rarity of murder charges against women and the defendant's profession as a "sex worker," as described in the indictment. Inside the court, however, the accused appeared anything but dominant. Her tattooed hands fidgeted with her fingers as she sat beside two of her three defense lawyers, rather than alone in the front row.
On the opening day, only the indictment was read. Marion W. chose to have her statement heard behind closed doors, a request granted by the court, which deemed her private sphere deserved protection despite her open discussions of her work and personal life in a podcast. According to the court's press office, Marion W. denied the charges in her private testimony.
The prosecution, however, alleges that Marion W. cunningly murdered her loyal client, Ulrich Z., in his home in Obermenzing out of avarice. The indictment details that Ulrich Z. owned property in Obermenzing, an apartment in Munich, at least 1.5 kilograms of gold, and held €133,000 in bank accounts.
The indictment speaks of a "relationship of trust."
Ulrich Z. had reportedly been a regular client of the dominatrix for about 20 years. The prosecution described their relationship as one of "trust," noting that the man had no other close contacts. This led him to name Marion W. as his sole heir in his will in February 2021. The indictment states that in mid-June 2025, Marion W. decided to kill her client to "force the inheritance."
A dispute allegedly occurred on June 15, 2025, during which Ulrich Z. announced his intention to remove the dominatrix from his will. To prevent this, the 59-year-old reportedly visited Ulrich Z. two or three days later, persuading him to have a "session" upstairs. As usual, the 62-year-old brought two beer bottles from the cellar. Upon entering the room, the defendant allegedly attacked him immediately, striking him on the head with a blunt object of small impact surface "about six to twelve times" until he died.
Ulrich Z. was reportedly not missed. His body lay undiscovered in the house for three weeks before Marion W. filed a missing person report with the police "out of concern." She was arrested four months later. The trial is set to continue on Tuesday.
