Cold case: Trial started for murder of 15-year-old girl
Almost 40 years after the fatal crime against 15-year-old Jutta from Lindenfels in southern Hesse, the murder trial against a 62-year-old man began on Wednesday morning at Darmstadt District Court.
According to the investigators, the German, who has several previous convictions, allegedly pushed the 15-year-old into a forest, threatened her with a knife, raped her and then stabbed her to death. He is said to have tried to prevent the teenager from identifying him and reporting him.
The teenager was on her way back to her parents' house from the outdoor pool on June 29, 1986 when the crime took place. In February 1988, a walker found her skeletonized body.
The crime ended up with the so-called cold-case units of the LKA and the South Hesse police, who systematically check unsolved murder cases from time to time for new clues and use new forensic technology to investigate previously undiscovered traces. DNA of the suspect was discovered during a new examination of genetic traces on the old evidence. According to previous information from investigators, he has been convicted several times for sexual offenses and other crimes.
The investigation into Jutta's cold case involved processes carried out by the cold-case units of the LKA and the South Hesse police, who meticulously re-examined old evidence and utilized advanced forensic technology. The 62-year-old man, standing trial for her murder at Darmstadt Regional Court, has a history of convictions for crimes including sexual offenses.
Source: www.dpa.com
