Germany’s Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof) has dismissed the appeal of a man convicted of the murder of a nine-year-old girl, the court announced Monday.
The defendant had previously been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Regional Court of Chemnitz for the killing, with the court also determining that the crime was particularly heinous.
According to the Regional Court’s findings, the defendant began a relationship with the victim’s mother – a Ukrainian refugee who arrived in Germany in 2022 – in February 2024. Following the couple’s separation in May 2024, the defendant allegedly decided to kill the woman’s elder daughter as an act of revenge. On the morning of the crime, he intercepted the girl on her way to school, persuaded her to enter his vehicle and subsequently killed her in a forested area.
The Regional Court convicted the defendant of murder, citing elements of treacherous intent and base motives. A review of the case by the Federal Court of Justice revealed no legal errors to the defendant’s disadvantage (Decision of August 13, 2025 – 5 StR 324/25), effectively upholding the original sentence.
