The case caused horror far beyond the region: a ten-year-old girl was found dead in a children’s home in Wunsiedel, Upper Franconia, in April of this year. The investigation reveals that it was abused and then killed.
A 25-year-old will now stand before the Hof regional court from February 1, 2024 on charges including rape and serious sexual abuse of children, a spokesman announced on Thursday. Nine dates are planned for the process until the beginning of March 2024.
An 11-year-old believed to be responsible for the girl’s death will not be prosecuted because of his age. The boy is said to have strangled the girl during an argument that same night. He is called as a witness.
The public prosecutor accuses the defendant of breaking into the children’s home on the night of April 4th to steal valuables. He met the eleven-year-old and masturbated in front of him. The man is said to have later raped the ten-year-old girl and then left the children’s home again.
The prosecution also accuses the German of five burglaries between May 2022 and April 2023. Among other things, he is said to have stolen construction machinery worth around 16,000 euros. In one case he also set a fire to cover his tracks.
The defendant has been in custody since the end of April. According to previous information from the public prosecutor’s office, he “confessed to a large extent” to the crimes he was accused of, as it was said. According to the spokesman, 39 witnesses have been invited to the trial before a youth chamber of the regional court, including a forensic doctor and an expert in forensic psychiatry.
A 40-member special police commission was entrusted with the investigation. The eleven-year-old boy and the 25-year-old were ultimately targeted. The police and public prosecutor’s office said when the charges were filed in September that the accused could not be proven to have been involved in the killing of the ten-year-old girl. The investigation confirmed the suspicion that the eleven-year-old boy killed the girl. The defendant is said to have already left the children’s home at this point.