Verdict - 15-year-old sentenced to maximum penalty for murder of homeless man
In the process of a man who was beaten to death, the Landgericht Darmstadt sentenced a 15-year-old to a ten-year prison term. The court found the teenager guilty of murder, robbery, and grievous bodily harm. The defendant received the maximum possible sentence under juvenile law.
The teenager, along with his 18-year-old brother, had attacked a homeless man in Darmstadt in November 2023, as described in the court's judgment. The homeless man had been staying in a shelter on the central Luisenplatz around 2:15 am.
Murder of a Homeless Man: The older brother sleeps, the younger brother attacks
Footage from surveillance cameras played in court shows both brothers assaulting the man. The younger brother is seen taking items from the victim's backpack. The fatal blows were apparently delivered by the younger brother alone. The older brother was already drunk and asleep on the Luisenplatz at the time – and was found in the same condition. His sentence was: 60 hours of community service and ten sessions with the youth court assistance.
The younger brother confessed to the crime in court. The judgment was delivered expressionlessly by him. He was already known to the police for thefts, bodily harm, and a sexual assault on a 20-year-old woman, but had not yet been sentenced for these offenses. "They take what they want," said the presiding judge Marc Euler, looking at the offenses. "And in that moment, they wanted to take a life." The defense attorney for the 15-year-old is now considering whether to file an appeal.
The 15-year-old, having been convicted of murder, robbery, and grievous bodily harm, will serve his imprisonment in a German prison, specifically in Darmstadt. Despite the younger brother's confession and previous record of thefts, bodily harm, and a sexual assault, the court showed leniency towards the older brother, only sentencing him to community service and youth court assistance for his role in the deadly attack against the homeless man.
