While Stuebing served out his prison term, Karolewski gave birth to the couple's forth child, a healthy baby girl. As a result, the couple was again charged and convicted under paragraph 173. Stuebing received an additional 14-month sentence, while Karolewski was again placed under supervision. However, unlike the stipulations of their previous convictions, the court allowed Karolewski to care for the couple's forth child because she was born without mental or physical impairments.
As Stuebing served out his sentence, his sister had a child with another man; however, that relationship did not blossom, and Karolewski was back by her brother's side when he was released in November 2006, pending an appeal his lawyer filed before the Federal Constitutional Court.
During a March 2007 interview with News.BBC.co.uk, Stuebing and Karolewski said they were raised separately and did not meet until 2000, when Stuebing tracked down his mother.
"When I was younger, I didn't know that I had a brother. I met Patrick, and I was so surprised," Karolewski said.
Shortly afterward, the couple's mother died. At that point, they began to develop an intimate relationship.
"We are like normal lovers. We want to have a family. Our whole family broke apart when we were younger, and after that happened, Susan and I were brought closer together," Stuebing told News.BBC.co.uk.
Despite their desire to have an open relationship, the constitutional court last week rejected Stuebing's claim that paragraph 173 be overturned because it is unconstitutional to punish adults who have consensual sexual relations. In making the ruling, the court stated that sexual relations between siblings "do not affect them exclusively, but also can have an effect on family and society and have consequences for children who arise from the relationship."
As a result of Thursday's ruling, Stuebing will now have to serve out the remaining 16 months of his prison sentence. Only time will tell if Stuebing and Karolewski will abide by the reaffirmed law or if they will continue to live like "normal lovers."
See Stuebing and Karolewski here.
