Criminality - Man at Ammersee killed - 22-year-old under murder suspicion
Less than a week after the fatal attack on a 74-year-old man in Herrsching, the police arrested a suspect in France. Tips from the population, the contents of the backpack of the 22-year-old Serbian, and numerous video recordings contributed to the quick identification of the suspect, said Manfred Frei, chief of the criminal police in Fürstenfeldbruck. He is being investigated for murder.
A multitude of leads
Frei spoke of a multitude of leads and insights. "The valuable tips from the public search led us to quickly identify the suspect." We had already been on his trail, then a witness recognized him from the public search.
"We live in a digital age, we leave digital traces - and sometimes we're lucky that traces remain that lead further," explained Frei further.
Passersby also found the man's backpack at the Ammersee. The contents of the backpack in turn led to a supermarket. The man apparently wanted to get rid of the backpack, he had weighed it down with stones. Regarding the "procedurally relevant items" found in the woods, Frei remained silent.
Open motive
The motive for the crime remained open for the time being. Investigations were being carried out in all directions. Nothing was stolen according to previous knowledge. There was also no connection between the perpetrator and the victim. "This case is very unusual."
Whether the man had spoken to anyone in France could not be answered by Frei initially. Where he had his permanent residence was still being checked. At least in Germany, he was not known to the police. The supposed perpetrator arrived in Herrsching on the previous Friday around 5 p.m., most likely alone, as Frei said. He was also alone again when he left in the night.
At around 9:20 p.m., he is said to have rung the doorbell of the married couple in the Herrsching district of Mühlfeld, and then allegedly stabbed the 74-year-old man. The 65-year-old wife fled over the terrace to the neighbor. Her condition corresponds to the circumstances, said Frei.
A large-scale search with helicopters, dogs, and numerous policemen after the perpetrator remained initially unsuccessful.
Flight through several countries
Nevertheless, the investigators were soon close on the heels of the suspect - through Austria and Switzerland to France. Agents of the Bavarian Criminal Police Office were able to trace the man's trail via Munich, Innsbruck, and Zurich to France. The Federal Criminal Office coordinated the cooperation with the French police for the arrest.
Special police forces arrested the man on Thursday morning around 10 a.m. in an apartment in a village near Paris. He was to be presented to the magistrate on Friday and then extradited to Germany. He could be extradited within ten to 14 days if he consented, otherwise it could take months, said Frei.
1.5 Terabytes of data
In total, the 30-member investigation team "Mühlfeld" - named after the district where the victim lived - had 1.5 terabytes of data at their disposal, which they had to go through. "Unbelievably many video recordings have been secured," said Frei.
Superrecognizers, who can recognize faces especially reliably and quickly, also received recordings for examination. A biometric facial recognition search was also automatically run through, but the images were not good enough. "We have done everything technically possible."
- The suspect in the Murder suspicion case, which occurred in Herrsching, was arrested in France.
- The contents of the suspect's backpack, found at Lake Ammersee, led investigators to a supermarket.
- The Criminal Police in Bavaria, led by Manfred Frei, are investigating a Serbian man for the murder in Upper Bavaria, Germany.
- The motive behind the crime in Herrsching remains unknown, with no connection between the perpetrator and the victim.
- The suspect is believed to have arrived in Herrsching from France on a previous Friday and left alone the following night.
- The Criminal Police Office in Bavaria, in collaboration with the Federal Criminal Office, traced the suspect's trail through Austria, Switzerland, and finally France, resulting in his arrest.
