German sentenced

More than eleven years in prison for murder of 14-year-old girl

In Kassel, a young German is sent to prison for the murder of a 14-year-old girl (symbolic image).

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

In Kassel, a young German man (21) has now been sentenced to more than eleven years in prison for the murder of a schoolgirl (14). He must serve the sentence in a social therapy institution under preventive detention as, according to the court, he may have a tendency to commit serious crimes.

As reported , the victim was discovered dead on the side of a field path in Bad Emstal (Kassel district in Hesse) on September 28, 2023. A man had found the body of the 14-year-old, who had already been missing, while cutting wood and immediately informed the police. The investigation revealed evidence of third-party culpability and led to a 20-year-old acquaintance of the victim.

Schoolgirl sexually touched and photographed
The Kassel Regional Court has now ruled that the young man with German citizenship had strangled his acquaintance in order to obtain sexual gratification. He then allegedly touched the girl's body in a sexually motivated manner and filmed and photographed this (see video above). The verdict is that he disturbed the peace of the dead.

The German admitted in court last week that he had strangled the teenager to the point of unconsciousness after getting into an argument with her. According to his own statement, he did not want to kill her. The 21-year-old also admitted to undressing the victim and making film and video recordings of her. This was intended to dissuade her from reporting him to the police.

As the accused was 20 years and eleven months old at the time of the crime, a juvenile chamber of the Kassel Regional Court was responsible for the case. It decided that the young man would be sentenced under adult criminal law. One of the reasons given for this was that he had already led a self-determined life. In addition, a psychiatric expert had certified that the accused was fully competent to stand trial.

I would apologize to the family that it came to this on 27 September, but I can do no more than apologize.

Der Angeklagte vor Gericht

Defense lawyer pleaded manslaughter
The defense lawyer had pleaded for juvenile criminal law and for a manslaughter conviction. He considered a prison sentence of less than ten years to be appropriate. In fact, the sentence was eleven years and nine months. "The sentence is to be served in a socio-therapeutic institution," said the presiding judge. The court also ordered the reservation of preventive detention.

The verdict is not yet final.