- 15-year-old sentenced to prison for killing classmates
After a fatal gunshot to the head of a classmate at a school in Lower Franconia, a 15-year-old has been sentenced to eight years and six months in a juvenile detention center for murder. The Regional Court of Würzburg found that the youth had planned and carried out the killing of the 14-year-old in Lohr am Main in September 2023, taking advantage of his helplessness, a court spokeswoman said.
The 15-year-old German admitted to the crime at the beginning of the main trial. He stated that the shot was not intentional. In his final statement, the 15-year-old apologized to the bereaved and expressed his deep regret.
The victim was very popular. The two boys attended the same middle school in the small town in the Spessart region. They had known each other since elementary school but were neither friends nor enemies. The deceased was a very well-liked person.
The motive remained unclear. "The chamber can only speculate about the motivation," the spokeswoman said. Whether jealousy played a role is uncertain.
Waffendeal or violence influences?
Before the main trial, the prosecution believed that the youth had admired serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and acted out of a lust for murder. Dahmer was responsible for one of the most gruesome murder series in the U.S. The prosecution did not maintain this accusation based on the main trial, according to the court spokeswoman. However, the chamber assumed in the verdict that the defendant had dealt with such topics. The weapon belonged to a 66-year-old who lived in the same house as the defendant.
The defense, however, stated after the verdict that there could be several possible motives and scenarios. It could have been an escalated conflict. The two young people had arranged to meet on the day of the crime, according to the court spokeswoman. The defendant claimed it was about a weapons deal, his lawyers said. "We consider the weapons deal variant as more likely," they said. The chamber did not follow this version in its verdict but considered it refuted.
The large juvenile chamber followed the view of the prosecution and the co-plaintiff. They considered the murder characteristic of treachery to be fulfilled, as the headshot came from behind. The lawyer for the defendant had pleaded for manslaughter.
The verdict is not yet final. The maximum sentence for murder in juvenile court is ten years. The prosecution had demanded eight years and nine months in juvenile detention for murder in its plea.
The parents of the deceased boy were co-plaintiffs in the proceedings. They largely agreed with the prosecution's plea.
The defense requested a six-year juvenile sentence for manslaughter.
Since the defendant is a minor, the trial took place behind closed doors. A custodial sentence, as considered by the prosecution, was not imposed.
The parents of the victim expressed their agreement with the eight-year-six-month sentence proposed by the prosecution at the juvenile court. The Office of the Prosecutor carefully analyzed the case, considering various motives and scenarios before presenting their plea.
