The crime shocked people far beyond the Allgaeu region in Southern Germany: On Wednesday, June 15, 2023, a fatal attack occurred at Marienbruecke, a popular tourist destination near Neuschwanstein Castle - known as "Cinderella Castle": A 30-year-old man from the U.S. plunged two young female tourists down a ravine. A 21-year-old did not survive the deep fall - she succumbed to her severe injuries. Her 22-year-old friend was later pulled out of the gorge by rescuers. She was seriously injured.
Charges are filed in case of the horrific violent attack near Neuschwanstein Castle
Now the public prosecutor's office in Kempten, Germany, has filed charges. The now 31-year-old alleged perpetrator is said to have strangled the younger of the two women to the point of unconsciousness, raped her and then pushed her down the slope. "This violence alone was likely fatal," said prosecutor David Beck to the newspaper Allgäuer Zeitung.
According to the current state of affairs, the accused and the two victims, who are also American citizens, met by chance during a hiking tour. The accused is suspected to have deliberately led the two women from the hiking trail to a vantage point a few meters away. There he is said to have brought the 21-years old victim forcibly to the ground, in order to undress her under application of force and to make sexual actions at it.
Young woman raped and killed at Neuschwanstein Castle: US citizen charged for murder
When the 22-year-old female companion wanted to come to the aid of her friend, the accused allegedly threw the female companion down a slope about 50 meters in the course of a scuffle, thereby allegedly accepting that she would be fatally injured.
It is further suspected that the then 30-year-old then strangled the 21-year-old to unconsciousness using force and raped her. Subsequently, the accused allegedly also threw the 21-year-old down the slope, where she came to rest after about 50 meters in the area of a tree. The 21-year-old victim died during the attack of the accused as a result of violence. Her companion survived the fall, suffering a head injury, bruises and abrasions.
Helicopter, search dog and more: Police captured the accused US-citizen near the crime scene
The suspect was still arrested on the scene on the day of the crime and taken to a police station in nearby Fuessen. It was a man from the US state of Michigan, who was also a tourist in Germany. In the course of the investigation, cell phones and a laptop containing child pornography were seized from the defendant.
The Kempten public prosecutor's office has now brought charges against him. The 31-year-old is to stand trial for murder, rape resulting in death, attempted murder and possession of child pornography. So far, the man has said nothing about the accusations. The presumption of innocence applies.