Mother throws newborn daughter out of a window to her death because 'she thought a child would ruin her career as an executive at Porsche'

Sunday, July 07, 2024 - A mum has been jailed after killing her newborn daughter by throwing the infant out a window because she "thought a baby would ruin her career," a court heard.

Katarina Jovanovic, 28, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years after being convicted of manslaughter.

Katarina was a top lawyer for Porsche, from Lauffen am Neckar, Baden-Wuerttemberg State, Germany.

She faced a judge at the Heilbronn District Court on Wednesday, July 3.

Jovanovic secretly gave birth at home on September 12, 2023, before hurling the baby from her flat window, the court heard.

The newborn, who was just minutes old, fell almost four meters into the road below and suffered a shattered skull.

Traumatised passersby found her shortly after the horror unfolded and cops raced to the scene.

Prosecutors told the court how Jovanovic believed having a child would ruin her career as an executive in the luxury car manufacturer's legal department.

They told the court she deliberately kept her pregnancy a secret from colleagues and neighbours.

Public prosecutor Mareike Hafendoerfer said: "The accused was not prepared to put her life plans, especially her professional advancement, on hold for a child.

"That was her decision when the baby was born, and as a result, the criteria for a murder conviction are fulfilled."

Jovanovic's lawyers claimed their client had accidentally dropped the baby after giving birth alone at home.

They argued she had not realised she had been pregnant.

Defence attorney Malte Hoech, 53, said: "It is a drama that affects me personally. My client did not even know that she was pregnant.

"When she suddenly held the bloody baby in her hands, she was in an exceptional psychological situation.

"It was an accident, she dropped the baby. How the child ended up over the windowsill remains to be determined."

The court accepted the manslaughter charge and Jovanovic was jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

Her lawyers claim they plan to appeal the verdict after fighting for a sentence of just three years.

Neighbours previously told local media they did not realise Jovanovic was pregnant.

One said: "Nobody noticed that the woman was pregnant. Recently she had changed and was no longer talking to us.

"We thought she was stressed at work."