Image: PETER KNEFFEL (DPA)
The 31-year-old has been standing before the Kempten regional court since Monday on charges of murder, rape resulting in death and attempted murder. After the attack, a 21-year-old died and her companion, who was one year older, was seriously injured.
According to the prosecution, the vacationer, also from the USA, brutally attacked the two women for sexual reasons on June 14, 2023 while they were hiking near the Marienbrücke in Schwangau. The American is said to have strangled and raped the younger woman, and is also said to have pushed both victims down a slope approximately 50 meters deep. The bridge is a popular meeting point for holidaymakers because from there you have a particularly good view of the fairytale castle of Bavaria’s King Ludwig II.
Defendant was “spontaneously aroused”
At the beginning of the trial, defense attorney Philip Müller read out a statement in which the allegations were largely admitted. “The defendant committed the incomprehensible act,” it was said about the crime against the 21-year-old. The 31-year-old confirmed that the explanation was correct, but did not answer any further questions.
“The defendant committed the incomprehensible act,” it was said about the crime against the 21-year-old. The woman was choked and raped by the perpetrator. The sexual motive was also admitted in the statement. The US vacationer was spontaneously excited, it said.
Couple suspects consensual sex
According to the investigation, the man and the two friends had only met a few minutes earlier on June 14, 2023. The women and the man were traveling separately near the Marienbrücke in Schwangau. Last year, more than 850,000 people from all over the world visited Neuschwanstein Castle; before the corona pandemic, Neuschwanstein even received around one and a half million guests every year.
According to the prosecution, the defendant lured the two women to a secluded hiking trail in order to attack them. He is said to have stated that he wanted to show the women a special vantage point. When the man attacked the 21-year-old, her companion intervened. But the then 22-year-old was unable to save her friend; the man instead pushed the older woman into the steep Pöllat Gorge. The woman fell around 50 meters.
The man then continued to choke and rape the 21-year-old. A police officer testified in court that the perpetrator was surprised by a couple who were also hiking there. However, the two witnesses did not immediately recognize the situation. They would have suspected consensual sex between a couple. The couple did not intervene and continued walking.
Victim thrown down a slope
The man is then said to have let go of the 21-year-old and also thrown the seriously injured victim down the slope. The American classified the slope as “dangerous, but not fatal,” said the defense attorney about the attack.
The two women were later rescued from the gorge using a helicopter; the 21-year-old died a few hours later in the Kempten clinic. The man was caught by police officers after a brief escape.
Worldwide horror
Other tourists in the Marienbrücke area noticed and recorded the rescue operation and the arrest. Videos and photos were distributed worldwide on social networks, and media around the world reported on the violence at the fairytale castle.
As the criminal police officer primarily responsible for the investigation explained in the trial, the American sat quietly in the back seat of a patrol car in the minutes after his arrest and only looked stoically at the seat in front of him. The 31-year-old also watched the first day of the trial almost motionless – he spent most of the time sitting in the dock with his head bowed.
The court has initially planned six days of hearings for the trial. The verdict could therefore be announced in mid-March.
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Source: Nachrichten
