American man sentenced to life in prison for murdering woman in German castle

A German court on Monday convicted an American man of raping and murdering a woman and attempting to kill her companion near the city Neuschwanstein Castleone of the country’s most famous tourist destinations.

A nearby bridge known for its panoramic views of the fairytale castle became a crime scene in June when the 31-year-old man attacked two young American women who had been on a trip to Europe after graduating.

When imposing a life sentence, the court determined the ‘particular seriousness of the guilt’. a court spokesman said, adding that the man was charged with murder and rape resulting in death in relation to the first victim, and attempted murder and grievous bodily harm in relation to the second. This means that the suspect will no longer be eligible for parole after the usual fifteen years, but possibly at a later date.

(In Germany, life imprisonment does not last for a specified period. A convicted person is generally allowed to apply for parole after fifteen years and then, if rejected, reapply every two years.)

In accordance with privacy laws, German authorities did not name the defendant or the women, but family and friends identified the victims as 21-year-old Eva Liu, who died, and Kelsey Chang, 22. The two friends had recently graduated from University of Illinois.

Police said the two friends did not know the attacker but had met him that day at the Pöllat Bridge, which overlooks Neuschwanstein Castle in the southern state of Bavaria, near the Austrian border. The man persuaded the women to join him on a little-used path that led into the forest, towards picturesque cliffs surrounding the castle.

He then attacked Ms. Liu and began to strangle her. Ms Chang tried to fend off the attacker but was quickly overcome by the man and pushed into the Pöllat Gorge below, falling about 50 metres, according to German news agency DPA, which was present at the trial.

The man then strangled Ms. Liu with a belt and raped her. He filmed and photographed the assault, which the judge overseeing the trial said was likely intended as a “trophy” but became important incriminating evidence in the case.

The attacker then pushed the woman into the gorge after her friend. “He threw her away like a bag of garbage,” the judge quoted the court.

A helicopter rescue mission later picked up both women and took them to hospital, but only Ms Chang survived.

The judge also told the court that the women may have been specifically targeted because of their Asian heritage, DPA said. He said the defendant apparently had a preference for Asian women, referring to pornographic films in his possession by police.

A court spokesman said the suspect has one week to appeal the decision.

Only when the verdict is finalized, he said, would it be decided whether the suspect should be extradited to the United States to serve his sentence. or stay in Germany.