Murder trial - Ten years in prison for 15-year-old for murder of homeless man
A youngster was sentenced to shock at the Regional Court in Darmstadt for murdering a homeless man. The 15-year-old received a ten-year prison sentence, which is the maximum possible sentence under juvenile law. He, along with his 18-year-old brother, had attacked the homeless man in Darmstadt's central Luisenplatz late at night in November, as the court explained in the judgment on Friday. The younger brother was reportedly solely responsible for the fatal blows and kicks.
The 15-year-old was found guilty of murder, robbery, and grievous bodily harm. Security camera videos showed both brothers attacking the man on the central Luisenplatz in Darmstadt, with the younger brother taking items from the victim's backpack.
Witnesses had alerted the police, but they did not recognize the robbery, as the homeless man had no identifying documents. A police officer testified in court about errors made during the investigation. The brothers were sent to the bus stop where they were supposed to catch a bus to the neighboring community of Roßdorf in two hours.
Minutes of Beatings and Kicks
The older brother was heavily drunk and slept, while the younger brother ran back to the homeless man, kicked and beat him to the ground. In the surveillance video, it was visible that the teenager beat and kicked the man for minutes. The police were alerted again, and they arrested the 15-year-old immediately next to the man lying on the ground. The man succumbed to his injuries the following day. The 15-year-old confessed to the crime in court.
His brother was sentenced to 60 hours of community service and 10 counseling sessions with the Youth Welfare Office. The judgment has already come into force, and the defense attorney for the 15-year-old is considering an appeal.
The 15-year-old listened to the judgment expressionlessly. He was known to the police for thefts, bodily harm, and a sexual assault on a 20-year-old woman but had not yet been sentenced. "They take what they want," said the presiding judge Marc Euler, looking at the offenses. "And in that moment, you wanted to take a life." The judge added, "Education is one thing, but a just penalty is another."
Bonding Disorder Diagnosed
The brothers are Bulgarian citizens. They moved to Germany in 2017 to live with their single mother, who had been working in Germany since 2013. The previous separation reportedly led to a bonding disorder in the younger brother, according to a psychiatric report.
The court followed the prosecution's demands for murder and nine years and ten months in prison. The defense attorney for the 15-year-old had demanded eight and a half years in prison for manslaughter. Both parties agreed that the 18-year-old should receive a warning with ten counseling sessions at the Youth Welfare Office.
- The murder trial of the 15-year-old, accused of killing a homeless man in Darmstadt, took place at the Darmstadt Regional Court in Hesse, Germany.
- The court in its judgments explained that the 15-year-old was solely responsible for the fatal blows and kicks that led to the homeless man's bodily injury.
- The younger brother's bonding disorder, diagnosed in a psychiatric report, was attributed to the separation from his mother, a factor that was considered during the sentencing processes.
- The 18-year-old brother was sentenced to 60 hours of community service and 10 counseling sessions with the Youth Welfare Office, in connection with the crime that took place in Darmstadt's central Luisenplatz.
- The German police were criticized for errors made during the investigation of the crime, with a police officer testifying about these shortcomings in court.
- The 15-year-old's previous offenses, including thefts, bodily harm, and a sexual assault, were considered during the sentencing, leading to a ten-year imprisonment sentence for murder, robbery, and grievous bodily harm.
- The judgment against the 15-year-old included a contemplation of an appeal by his defense attorney, as he faced a maximum possible sentence under juvenile law for his role in the homeless man's murder in Germany.
