Unter Anklage: Der Fall Harry Wörz (2014)

The story begins on April 29, 1997, in Gräfenhausen, a district of Birkenfeld near Pforzheim. The technical draftsman Harry Wörz is leaving his apartment when he encounters a large police presence and is immediately arrested. He is accused of having attacked his estranged wife, who is also a police officer, in her apartment and strangled her so severely that oxygen deprivation caused permanent brain damage and left her dependent on care. The Karlsruhe Regional Court sentences Wörz to eleven years in prison for attempted manslaughter. In 1999, a civil damages case is brought against him, in which he is represented by lawyer Hubert Gorka. The judge at the civil court with jurisdiction has doubts about Wörz’s guilt and dismisses the claim. Following this success, Wörz and his lawyer Gorka decide to fight to have the prison sentence overturned. A years-long legal battle begins. Together, the two make their way through retrials and appeal hearings, all the way to the Federal Court of Justice. On October 6, 2005, Wörz is acquitted “for lack of evidence,” and the negligent work of the authorities who originally investigated the case is established. Nevertheless, the court indicates that it believes Wörz is guilty, and overturns the judgment on appeal. Only four years later does the court state unequivocally that he is innocent and should never have been convicted. This judgment is also upheld on appeal. The real perpetrator was never held accountable. Alongside the legal proceedings, the film also tells of Wörz’s relationships with his lawyer Gorka, and with old and new friends.