81-year-old convicted of murder of US tourist Amy Lopez – 30-year-old Koblenz cold case solved
Koblenz regional court has sentenced an 81-year-old man to life imprisonment for the murder of American Amy Lopez in 1994.
Life sentence for Amy Lopez murder: Koblenz court closes 30-year-old cold case
More than three decades after the murder of American student Amy Lopez, Koblenz regional court has delivered its verdict. According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, an 81-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment on Monday for murder. Presiding judge Rupert Stehlin also established the particular gravity of the offence.
The court found it proven that the defendant lured the then 24-year-old Amy Lopez in September 1994 to a remote, vacant building near Fortress Ehrenbreitstein, bound her, sexually abused her, and finally killed her with nine knife wounds. The murder was committed treacherously and to satisfy sexual gratification. Shortly after the act, playing children discovered the body.
Judge Stehlin described the act as "hunting of a human being": the defendant had deliberately searched for a victim that day. Court spokesperson Eva Maria Kahn said Amy Lopez was "unluckily in the wrong place at the wrong time" – a chance victim. The act had been deliberate and planned.
Breakthrough thanks to new DNA analysis
For decades the case remained unsolved. The decisive lead came from the analysis of old DNA traces using modern technology. The trace on the victim's trouser waistband could be linked to the 81-year-old. At the end of February 2026 he was arrested in a care home in the Koblenz area.
His lawyer stated that the man had voluntarily submitted a DNA sample because he "finally wanted clarity". The act had "extremely burdened" him and he wanted to face responsibility.
At the start of the trial, the defendant had admitted the act in general terms. Over the four trial days he remained almost emotionless. Prosecutor Julian Gislai emphasised that the man had shown "no genuine compassion" and no public remorse. Defence lawyer Volker Klein said he had advised his client: "You cannot apologise for murder." In personal conversation he is said to have shown remorse.
After the verdict was announced, Judge Stehlin addressed the defendant. He replied: "I accept the verdict, it is the only thing I can still do right by." It was the longest sentence he spoke throughout the entire proceedings. Defence lawyer Klein immediately waived appeal; the prosecution and subsidiary claimant also filed no legal remedies after brief consultation. The verdict is thus legally binding according to prosecutor Andrea Maier.
Father and brother observe verdict announcement in courtroom
The trial attracted considerable public interest. Queues formed even outside the courthouse; the courtroom was completely full on the final trial day. Particularly the presence of Amy Lopez's father and brother shaped the atmosphere – they sat across from the convicted man for around an hour and remained composed throughout.
Attorney Kathrin Kienle, who represented the relatives, said after the verdict: "The verdict cannot of course undo the act, it cannot bring Amy back." Father and brother told her that over all these years they could never find inner peace as long as the perpetrator had not been caught. Their appearance at the verdict announcement was an "attempt at closure".
Judge Stehlin described the case as "extraordinary". Despite all relief at the case being solved, a "great heaviness" remained. According to the files, the convicted man had committed several sexual offences in the decades after 1994 and served partial multi-year sentences. His last prison sentence ended in 2005; after that he had not reoffended.
Prosecutor Maier concluded with a general assessment: "We were extremely relieved when we were able to solve the act after so many years and to bring a perpetrator to justice. This shows that one must continually pursue these cold cases."
Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung