WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT

A man accused of murdering his Swiss beauty queen wife, dismembering her body and then pureeing parts of it in a blender has been described at his trial as an “ideal husband”.

Father of two Marc Rieben is facing life behind bars if found guilty of the February 2024 killing of his wife, Kristina Joksimovic, a former Miss Switzerland finalist and desecrating her body.

Prosecutors allege Rieben, 43, intentionally killed his wife and was motivated by revenge because their marriage was rocky and she wanted to divorce him.

Rieben admits he killed Ms Joksimovic but says he acted in self defence after she came at him with a knife.

At his trial in Basel-Landschaft Criminal Court in Muttenz, Rieben held back tears as he made a statement to the court saying his wife’s death was “an accident” and that he had loved her, Daily Mail reported.

“I have caused my family immeasurable suffering. Why? Why did I fail? Why couldn’t I prevent it? Why couldn’t I stop her from dying at my hands? I loved my wife with all my heart and believed in a future together.

“It haunts me day and night. What I did is absolutely unforgivable, and I take full responsibility. I deeply regret it, and I apologise.”

One of his lawyers described Rieben the “ideal husband”: thoughtful and caring. And recounted how he would get up in the middle of the night to help the children so his wife could rest.

Rieben revealed that he had paid his two children and Ms Joksimovic’s parents about AUD $180,000.

“It would be wonderful if you could use it to do something that brings some lightness into your lives,” he said.

Asked why he had only revealed the payment on the first day of his trial, Rieben replied, “Because this is the first opportunity I’ll have to see the bereaved. This offer is made regardless of what the court decides. I simply want to show my support. It’s a gesture.

“Human lives cannot be replaced; I can only offer my sympathy.

“I would like to express my deepest sympathy to all those affected for their suffering. (Kristina) is gone. Her cool zest for life, her radiant smile – simply gone. The world has collapsed.”

Prosecutors allege Rieben grabbed his wife by the neck and choked her using a “band-shaped strangulation device”, Blick reported.

He strangled his wife “perfidiously, cruelly, and in cold blood,” according to the prosecutors office and she suffocated “agonizingly”.

In the aftermath, to cover his tracks, Rieben allegedly spent hours using a jigsaw, garden shears, a knife and then the family blender to dismember and dispose of his wife’s body.

Even more chillingly, it’s claimed he removed Ms Joksimovic’s uterus while he went about his gruesome task.

Ms Joksimovic’s father discovered parts of her body at her home in an up-market village in Basel. He had gone looking for her after she failed to pick up her children from school.

A court appointed expert professor, who told the court he had diagnosed Rieben with narcissistic traits and obsessive-compulsive disorder, said he had acted with “almost meticulous precision” on the day of the murder.

Frank Urbaniok pointed to the fact he had afterwards gone out to dinner with his two children and acted as if nothing had happened.

“I have been working as an expert witness for 33 years and overseen 5000 cases. I have seen many people who have committed homicides against intimate partners. But I have never seen anything like this before,” Mr Urbaniok told the court, the Daily Mail reported.

Strict conditions have been put in place around the trial due to its gruesome nature. The indictment was not made public and only accredited media, including the Daily Mail, have been allowed to see it.

Media outlets are following the trial via a videolink. Only judges, prosecutors, defence lawyers, defendants and family members are allowed in the actual courtroom.

In accordance with Swiss privacy rules, Rieben is being referred to in local media coverage as Thomas L, while Ms Joksimovic is Ivana L.

A verdict in the case is expected on May 13.