BERLIN — An American man was convicted of murder and other charges on Monday for brutally attacking two American women near Germany’s famed Neuschwanstein castle last summer and pushing them into a ravine, fatally injuring one of them. He was sentenced to life in prison.
The Kempten state court also convicted the 31-year-old man of attempted murder and rape with fatal consequences, the German news agency reported. Presiding judge Christoph Schwiebacher determined that the defendant bears particularly severe guilt, meaning that he likely won’t be eligible for release after 15 years as is usually the case in Germany.
Defendants in the German legal system do not formally enter pleas to charges, but the suspect admitted to the charges when his trial opened on Feb. 19.
In line with German privacy laws, German authorities did not identify either the perpetrator or the victims. However, family and friends at the time said that the victims were 21-year-old Eva Liu, who died, and her friend Kelsey Chang, 22, who survived. Both were recent graduates of the University of Illinois.
The attack took place on June 14 near the Marienbruecke, a bridge over a gorge that offers a view of the castle, one of Germany’s most famous tourist attractions.
Prosecutors have said the suspect met the two women by chance on a hiking path and lured them off the trail. They said he apparently first forced the younger woman to the ground and tried to undress her.
When the older woman tried to help her, a scuffle ensued and the suspect allegedly pushed her down a steep slope. She fell about 50 meters (165 feet) and sustained a head injury, bruises and grazes, but survived.
The suspect then allegedly strangled the younger woman until she was unconscious and raped her, prosecutors have said, before pushing her down the slope as well. She died later in a hospital.
An American man has been found guilty of murder and rape in Germany and has been sentenced to life in prison for his heinous crimes. The man, whose identity has not been disclosed to the public, was convicted of assaulting two women in separate incidents.
The first attack occurred in a small town in Germany, where the man brutally raped and murdered a young woman who was walking home alone at night. The victim’s body was found the next day by a passerby, and the police launched a thorough investigation to track down the perpetrator.
During the investigation, authorities discovered that the man had also assaulted another woman in a nearby city just weeks before the murder. The second victim survived the attack but was left traumatized by the experience.
The American man was eventually arrested and charged with both crimes. The evidence against him was overwhelming, including DNA evidence linking him to both assaults and eyewitness testimony placing him at the scenes of the crimes.
At his trial, the man showed no remorse for his actions and continued to deny his guilt despite the overwhelming evidence against him. The judge presiding over the case described him as a dangerous and remorseless individual who posed a significant threat to society.
In handing down the sentence of life in prison, the judge emphasized the severity of the crimes committed by the man and the need to protect the public from further harm. The man will spend the rest of his days behind bars, serving out his sentence for the brutal attacks he carried out in Germany.
The case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by individuals who commit violent crimes, both at home and abroad. It also highlights the importance of international cooperation in bringing perpetrators to justice and ensuring that they are held accountable for their actions.
The victims of these horrific crimes will never be forgotten, and their families can take some solace in knowing that justice has been served. The American man may have thought he could evade punishment for his crimes, but in the end, he was brought to justice and will now face the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life.
