After a good month, the trial in the case of the knife attack on two schoolgirls in Illerkirchberg came to an end. The Ulm District Court sentenced the 27-year-old Okba B. to life imprisonment and also determined the particular gravity of the guilt. This means that early release after 15 years in prison is almost impossible. The verdict is not yet legally binding.
Last December, the accused attacked two schoolgirls with a knife. A 14-year-old did not survive the attack, her 13-year-old friend was able to escape.
Last week, the prosecution and defense had demanded a life sentence for murder and attempted murder combined with dangerous bodily harm for the man from Eritrea.
The accused had previously confessed to the attack, which triggered a debate in Baden-Württemberg about refugees and failed integration. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the man wanted to use a knife to force travel documents for a marriage in Ethiopia from the district office of the Alb-Donau district on the day of the crime. According to the prosecution, the two girls walked past the man’s house just as he was leaving. Assuming the students had seen the knife, he is said to have spontaneously decided to attack them.
Okba B. is said to have attacked the two girls from behind and stabbed them immediately. While the 13-year-old was able to escape, the 14-year-old tripped and fell. B. stabbed the girl lying on the ground 23 times. He wanted to prevent the girls from notifying the police and thwarting his plan.
From the point of view of the public prosecutor’s office, the accused met three criteria for murder. So he acted insidiously and to enable another crime. He is also said to have tried to cover up a crime. Because he assumed it was a criminal offense to walk around with a knife. It doesn’t matter that this isn’t actually a crime.
The defendant’s defense attorney had previously stated that, in her view, the guilt was not particularly serious. Likewise, the murder feature of the intent to cover up. Her client’s aim was not to use the stitches to hide the fact that he had a knife with him. She agreed with the allegation that the man had acted insidiously and to enable another crime.