- Exonerated for murder of rocker with dismembered body
The trial for a murder in the biker gang milieu concluded at the Regional Court in Duisburg after more than two years with acquittals. The court decided that the crime could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, as the key witness for the prosecution had retracted essential parts of his testimony two weeks earlier.
The crime, which took place in January 2014 within the environment of the Hells Angels gang, had caused a stir due to its brutality. The victim, a suspected traitor within the gang, was killed by a shot to the back of the head. The body was dismembered, packed into barrels, covered with concrete, and submerged in waters. Walkers discovered a tattooed arm of the deceased in the Rhine near Duisburg.
Two Hells Angels members stood trial: a 37-year-old accused of handing the shooter the weapon, and a 45-year-old whom the prosecution believed dismembered the body with a saw after the crime. The actual shooter had fled abroad and is believed to have died there.
The lengthy trial relied heavily on the testimony of a key witness who primarily incriminated the 37-year-old. The prosecution sought a life sentence for him on charges of joint murder. For the 45-year-old, the prosecution sought a sentence of four years and ten months for attempted obstruction of justice.
The defense attorneys criticized the key witness in their closing arguments, citing inconsistencies in his testimony. Details, such as the concreting of the body parts or the disposal of the trailer where the crime occurred, often did not match the objectively established facts. Additionally, the witness had consumed significant amounts of drugs.
The reasons behind the key witness's changed testimony could not be clarified during the trial. A police officer stated at the beginning of the trial that he had heard about a large sum of money paid to the witness from "biker circles," but this information was hearsay.
The presiding judge stated that the reason for the acquittals was not solely the key witness's change of testimony. Even before that, the testimony of the heavily criminally convicted and drug-dependent witness had been inconsistent and had raised doubts.
The case related to the retraction of the key witness's testimony was subsequently heard at the Court of First Instance. The 37-year-old and the 45-year-old, who had initially faced serious charges, were now free from the allegations due to the court's decision.
