As of: March 12, 2024, 7:12 p.m
By: Julia Hanigk
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A year after the murder of twelve-year-old Luise by two classmates, many questions remain unanswered.
Her ordeal apparently dragged on for a long time.
Freudenberg – A terrible crime continues to overshadow Freudenberg (North Rhine-Westphalia) long after the crime was committed.
This was a year ago.
On March 11, 2023, the previously missing Luise (12) died.
Two underage classmates, aged 12 and 13 at the time, stabbed her.
Death of Luise: The perpetrator's cell phone is said to have been logged into the crime scene for 72 minutes
As
Bild
reports, Luise was lured into a forest by the two girls under the pretense of a “surprise”.
The two are said to have first tried to suffocate her, which failed.
That's why they apparently stabbed Luise - with 74 stab wounds.
The girl bled to death.
One girl is said to have held Luise while the other stabbed her.
One of the perpetrators explained this to the murder squad.
The murder weapon has not yet been found to this day.
Now, a year after the terrible act, there are new details.
Above all, it is still unclear how long Luise's martyrdom lasted.
According to
Bild
, the younger perpetrator's cell phone was logged into the crime scene for a total of 72 minutes before it was switched off.
This has not yet been officially confirmed by the public prosecutor or police.
No trial possible - but Luise's parents are suing for compensation
The two perpetrators have already confessed to their crime, but they are not threatened with criminal consequences due to their age.
The Siegen public prosecutor's office stopped the investigation in autumn 2023.
Since then, there have been repeated calls for changes to the criminal law.
There are still numerous flowers where Luise was found.
© Oliver Berg/dpa/picture alliance
Even though there will never be a trial, Luise's parents sued the two underage perpetrators for damages amounting to 160,000 euros.
The civil lawsuit was filed before the Koblenz regional court.
Unlike criminal law, children older than seven can be held liable for unlawful acts, according to a court spokesman.
There is no date for the procedure yet.
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“The horror remains” – Freudenberg is still in deep mourning for Luise
In the town of Freudenberg, which has a population of 17,000, there is still a state of shock.
At that time, many parents were very worried about their own children.
“The horror remains,” Mayor Nicole Reschke (SPD) recently said, “the path to normality is not an easy one.” The suffering of those left behind is immeasurable.
For their protection, the Protestant pastor Thomas Ijewski is currently leaving it unanswered as to whether Luise's family still lives in Freudenberg or has moved away, as the
dpa
reports.
However, he expresses their wish that they should not approach the girl's grave and that privacy should be respected.
Even flowers and stuffed animals no longer help the family, he says.
Shortly before the anniversary, a sea of flowers, candles and memorabilia can still be seen at the site where the child's body was found, a few kilometers away.
He also warned not to make a pilgrimage to Freudenberg on the anniversary, but to commemorate it in silence.
Everything is still too fresh, too close, too terrible, it takes time.
“Wounds may heal, but scars will remain,” it said.
Families of the perpetrators receive psychological support
The parents of the alleged perpetrators, on the other hand, apparently left Freudenberg and their current whereabouts are secret - probably because they were hit by a wave of hatred after the crime.
The families were under the care of the youth welfare office and were accommodated in a therapeutic facility.
A youth department head explained: “They find the burden to be immense.” One girl has now moved to a residential group and is still in outpatient therapy, the other is still in clinical treatment.
The two of them were left with their family environment as their “only anchor”.
(jh with dpa)