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American admits rape, murder of US tourist at German castle

February 20, 2024

The 31-year-old has admitted to attacking two women near Germany's famed Neuschwanstein castle, one of the country's most visited sites. He has been charged with rape, murder and attempted murder.

https://p.dw.com/p/4cYjL
The defendant covers his face as he arrives at court at the start of his trial in Kempten, Germany
The 31-year-old defendant from the US state of Michigan spoke only to confirm the accuracy of his lawyer's statement to the courtImage: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa/picture alliance

The trial of a US man accused of murder and rape near Germany's famed Neuschwanstein Castle began on Monday.

The man admitted to the charges during the start of his trial.

The 31-year-old is accused of having pushed two fellow US tourists into a ravine close to the popular tourist attraction in the southern state of Bavaria last June. One of the women died as a result of her injuries.

Defense lawyer Philip Müller said his client was "deeply ashamed" about his actions and wished to apologize to the victim's family.

What we know about the attack

The women, aged 21 and 22, had been hiking on June 14, 2023, during a visit to Germany following graduation from university. 

Having approached and then persuaded the women to follow him down a trail to a lookout point near the Marienbrücke bridge, the defendant allegedly shoved the younger woman to the ground and proceeded to undress her. When the 22-year-old woman intervened, he is said to have pushed her down a slope.

German prosecutors suspect the man then strangled the younger woman until she was unconscious before raping her and also throwing her down the slope.

The 22-year-old suffered serious injuries but survived. The younger woman was air-lifted to hospital by mountain rescue but later died from her injuries.

The man is charged with murder, rape resulting in death, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and possession of child pornography, after files were allegedly found on his phone and computer.

The trial is taking place over six days at a district court in the town of Kempten. A verdict is expected in mid-March.

Neuschwanstein castle is one of the most most popular tourist sites in Germany, attracting around 1.5 million visitors a year.

Editor's note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and obliges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases.

sdi, kb/lo (dpa, AFP, Reuters)

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