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An elderly NSW man who stabbed his wife to death in an attempted murder-suicide weeks before Christmas could die in prison, the judge who sentenced him over the crime said. Heinz Ratke, 76, pleaded guilty earlier this year to murdering Maria, his 71-year-old wife of more than 50 years, in their Katoomba home. Her body was found on December 15, 2020, but she may have been dead for up to six days. Ratke is believed to have stabbed his wife in their bed on the night of December 8.
Forensic psychiatrist Dr Andrew Ellis found Ratke was probably depressed for months before the murder, and this impaired fundamental processes and his judgement. His depression was not being treated at the time. Weinstein found the murder was near the mid-range of objective seriousness and aggravated by the fact it was premeditated and there was an intention to kill. “It is the epitome of domestic violence offending, although there was no history of domestic violence ,” he said.
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