Justice - 15-year-old convicted of murdering homeless man
In the trial for a homeless man from Darmstadt who was beaten to death, the Landgericht sentenced a 15-year-old to a ten-year prison term on a Friday. The court found the teenager guilty of manslaughter, robbery, and grievous bodily harm of low motives. He received the maximum sentence according to juvenile law.
The 15-year-old, along with his 18-year-old brother, had attacked the homeless man at around 2.15 am on the central Luisenplatz in a waiting hut on the night of November 15, 2023, as described in the judgment.
CCTV footage from surveillance cameras showed both brothers assaulting the man and the younger brother taking items from his backpack. The older brother, however, was asleep and drunk on the Luisenplatz during the later fatal blows and was found in that condition. He was sentenced to 60 hours of community service and ten sessions with the youth welfare office.
The 15-year-old confessed to the crime in court. The judgment was received expressionlessly by him. He was known to the police for thefts, bodily harm, and a sexual assault on a 20-year-old woman, but had not yet been sentenced. "They take what they want," said the presiding judge, Marc Euler, looking at the offenses. "And in that moment, you wanted to take a life."
The brothers are Bulgarian citizens. The defense attorney for the 15-year-old is considering filing a revision.
The homicide trial took place in the regional court of Hesse, Germany. The victim was a homeless man from Darmstadt. The older brother, also involved in the crime, was a Bulgarian citizen residing in Germany. The regional court handed down a ten-year imprisonment to the 15-year-old for his role in the man's murder, robbery, and causing grievous bodily harm. The older brother was given a lighter sentence of community service and sessions with the youth welfare office due to being asleep and drunk during the fatal blows. The 15-year-old had a history of thefts, bodily harm, and a sexual assault case, but hadn't been sentenced for them yet. The defense attorney for the 15-year-old is contemplating an appeal.
