As of: March 12, 2024, 8:58 p.m
By: Lisa Metzger
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The American accused of murder stands behind his lawyers in the dock in a courtroom in the Kempten regional court.
© Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa
It was a crime that caused a stir beyond Bavaria: two women from the USA were attacked by a fellow countryman near Neuschwanstein - one died.
Now the court has handed down the verdict.
Munich - Nine months after the violent act against two young American women not far from Neuschwanstein Castle, the 31-year-old perpetrator had to face his verdict today: The Kempten regional court found the man, who also comes from the USA, guilty and sentenced him to life Prison sentence.
The court classified the crime as murder, attempted murder and rape resulting in death.
The presiding judge Christoph Schwiebacher also noted the particular gravity of the guilt.
This means that the prison sentence probably cannot be suspended after just 15 years.
(By the way: Our Bayern newsletter informs you daily about all the important stories from Bavaria.)
The perpetrator and the victim met by chance
The defendant admitted that he had attacked the two friends on a hiking trail near the Marienbrücke in Schwangau in mid-June 2023 and then thrown them into a ravine about 50 meters deep.
A 21-year-old died in hospital after the attack, and her companion, who was one year older, was seriously injured.
According to the investigators' findings, the perpetrator and victim did not know each other beforehand, but rather met each other by chance on site.
The man attacked the 21-year-old in order to rape her.
When her friend came to the young woman's aid, the man pushed the then 22-year-old into the adjacent Pöllat Gorge.
The defendant then continued to assault the younger victim.
After he was surprised by a couple doing the crime shortly afterwards, the man let go of the woman and pushed her over the edge of the slope too.
The two women had to be rescued from the gorge by helicopter. Numerous tourists observed and recorded the attack and the arrest of the perpetrator by alerted police officers.
The photos and video were shared around the globe on social media.
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