An American man admitted to charges of murder and rape involving two other U.S. tourists near Germany's Neuschwanstein Castle during a trial that began on Monday.
The defendant admitted to the charges during the start of his trial as he faced accusations of pushing two fellow American tourists into a ravine close to the popular German tourist attraction. The area was in the southern state of Bavaria and the incident took place in June of last year. One of the female victims died as a result of her injuries from the fall.
The suspect's lawyer said that his client was "deeply ashamed" of what he did to the victims and wished to offer his apologies to their families. The two female victims, aged 21 and 22, had been hiking on June 14, 2023, during a visit to the European nation following graduation from university.
The suspect approached the victims and persuaded them to follow him down a trail to a lookout point near the Marienbrucke bridge. He then allegedly shoved the younger woman to the ground and proceeded to undress her, as per DW News.
The older woman then tried to intervene and the man is said to have pushed her down a slope in retaliation. German prosecutors suspect that the defendant then strangled the younger woman until she was unconscious before raping her and also throwing her down the same slope.
The 22-year-old suffered serious injuries due to falling down the slope but survived and the younger woman was air-lifted to hospital by mountain rescue. However, the latter later died from the severity of her injuries.
The suspect is now charged with murder, rape resulting in death, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, and possession of child pornography. These came after files were allegedly found on his phone and computer.
While the 31-year-old suspect's identity has not been released to the public in keeping with German privacy rules, reports have identified him as Troy Bohling of Lincoln Park. Michigan. Defense lawyer Philip Mueller said that his client has "committed an unfathomable crime," according to the New York Daily News.
Potential Life Imprisonment
During the trial, the suspect confirmed that his lawyer's statement was correct but he did not answer any questions. Under the German legal system, defendants do not formally enter pleas to criminal charges.
The two female victims were identified as Eva Liu and Kelsey Chang who were on a tour of Europe after graduating from the University of Illinois. Chang, the older victim, was from Bloomington, Illinois, and had just earned a computer engineering degree while Liu, the younger victim, was from Naperville, and earned a bachelor's degree in computer science.
The suspect may be imprisoned for life if he is convicted in the trial over the crimes against the two women. Defense lawyers denied that the suspect acted with intent, telling the court that he simply acted spontaneously.
Officials said that the suspect was initially arrested on the same day of the crimes following a massive police manhunt that involved more than 25 vehicles. They added that his face was covered in deep red scratch marks along with his neck. Authorities said that there was clearly a struggle, said BBC.
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