At Neuschwanstein Castle
Life for sexual murder at the world-famous fairytale castle
Tourists stand on the Marienbrücke in front of Neuschwanstein Castle. A man attacked two women there and has now been convicted. photo
© Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa
Two American women have a fateful encounter at Neuschwanstein Castle, which ends in death for one of them. The judge describes how callously the perpetrator acted.
The two young Americans came to enjoy their young lives on the trip to Europe. The detour to Allgäu Neuschwanstein Castle was supposed to be the happy end of the trip. But the trip to the fairytale castle meant death for a 21-year-old, and her friend, who was one year older than her, will never forget the day after a brutal attack.
A compatriot of the women attacked the vacationers, raped and strangled the younger woman and threw both women down a deep slope.
For this, the 31-year-old has now been sentenced to life in prison. The regional court in Kempten classified the defendant’s act as murder, attempted murder and rape resulting in death (case no. 250 Js 11628/23).
Judge speaks of an “incredibly callous” perpetrator
The presiding judge Christoph Schwiebacher spoke of an “incredibly callous” perpetrator. He also noted the particular gravity of the guilt. This means that the prison sentence probably cannot be suspended after just 15 years. “A release from prison after 15 years would not be justifiable,” emphasized the judge.
After the verdict, the defense initially left it open whether they would appeal. The lawyers particularly wanted to prevent the punishment from becoming more severe due to the severity of the guilt.
The defendant admitted that in mid-June 2023 he attacked the two friends on a hiking trail near the Marienbrücke in Schwangau for sexual reasons and threw them both into the Pöllat Gorge. The 21-year-old died in hospital after the attack.
Her companion, who was one year older than her, was injured. Despite a 50-meter fall, her physical injuries remained manageable, but her psychological suffering was considerable. “She is traumatized and will suffer the consequences for a long time,” Schwiebacher said of the surviving victim. A tree trunk had prevented the woman from falling further down the slope – otherwise it would have been her certain death.
The two women had met the man by chance while they were hiking near the Marienbrücke. The bridge opposite the fairytale castle is a popular meeting point for tourists from all over the world because it offers a particularly good view of the magnificent building of the Bavarian King Ludwig II.
All three of them slipped on the steep terrain and had a brief conversation. The court was convinced that the man then spontaneously decided to rape the 21-year-old. The American women’s downfall was that their ancestors came from Asia. “The defendant obviously likes women of Asian descent,” the judge said. The investigators later found corresponding porn films on him.
The perpetrator himself provided the most important evidence
After a few minutes, the man attacked the 21-year-old and immediately began to brutally choke her. The friend wanted to come to help and scratched the perpetrator. But the physically superior attacker quickly pushed the then 22-year-old woman down the adjacent slope and then continued to assault the younger woman and strangle her with a belt.
The man stripped the woman and raped her. He also made two videos and a photo – and ultimately provided the investigators with the most important piece of evidence. Judge Schwiebacher emphasized several times that the defendant probably wanted to arouse himself sexually again later with the films of the dying and raped woman. “How cold and callous is that?” asked the chamber chairman rhetorically. After the crime, the man also maneuvered the seriously injured 21-year-old over the edge of the slope. “He disposed of her like a sack of trash,” the judge said.
The 31-year-old then saved the image files of the crime on site, which, according to the court, he wanted to keep as a “trophy” and had his cell phone show him the way to the parking lot. It was “pure coincidence” that the police officers who had already been alerted were able to intercept and arrest the perpetrator in the area. Meanwhile, the two women had to be rescued from the gorge by a helicopter.
Numerous tourists observed and recorded the rescue operation and the arrest of the perpetrator. The photos and video were shared around the globe on social media.