In the trial surrounding the killing of a 25-year-old, the defendant Philip O. was sentenced to twelve years in prison for manslaughter. The court considered it proven that the now 28-year-old killed his partner Luca V. two years ago and buried her body near Berg on Lake Starnberg. His girlfriend had worked as a prostitute. Because she did not comply with O’s demands that she no longer do her job, O. decided to kill her.
Judge Elisabeth Ehrl explained that in the end the evidence had been condensed into clear evidence “like a large puzzle” during the trial. However, not all questions could have been clarified – for example, how the convict, who did not know the location, came to the forest near Berg. Nevertheless, in the course of the proceedings, the defendant incriminated himself in addition to the evidence. She has rarely seen a defendant “who talked so much and contradicted himself several times,” said the judge.
Three months after Luca V.’s body was found, investigators tracked down her partner Philip O. in Budapest, arrested him and transported him to Germany. The trial surrounding the woman’s death began at the end of January. Numerous witnesses testified that the prosecution’s indictment ran to more than 80 pages.
In their plea, the public prosecutor’s office ultimately demanded a prison sentence of ten years and eight months. The defense, in turn, had pleaded for acquittal. According to the defendant’s lawyers, the trial did not prove beyond doubt that their mandate actually killed Luca V. In addition, O. had no motive to kill his partner – after all, he benefited financially from her work.