Lidl Murder in St. Tönis: Suspect Arrested After 31 Years
DNA match leads investigators to a former store detective after more than three decades. The man is suspected of involvement in the armed robbery murder of branch manager Sonja K.
Breakthrough in Armed Robbery Murder After 31 Years
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports that police have arrested a man suspected of committing an armed robbery murder of Lidl branch manager Sonja K. The murder occurred on 25 January 1995 in St. Tönis (North Rhine-Westphalia). A DNA match with newly recovered traces from the original investigation led to the 59-year-old suspect, who was born and raised in Germany.
The man was arrested last Thursday in Krefeld and taken into custody the following day. Until the end of 1994, he worked intermittently as a store detective at the Lidl branch where the then 24-year-old Sonja K. worked as manager. Investigators disclosed this information at a press conference on Tuesday.
The crime took place as Sonja K. was stocking shelves shortly before the shop opened to customers. Several perpetrators overpowered the woman, bound her hands with adhesive tape behind her back and wrapped adhesive tape over her mouth. Using the victim's key — which has never been found to this day — they opened the safe and stole several thousand marks. A colleague later discovered the lifeless branch manager on the toilet and called emergency services. An autopsy established that Sonja K. had been strangled.
As early as 1995, the man was considered a suspect at one point, but was not convicted at that time. In 2025, investigators succeeded in extracting a trace from the original evidence using modern DNA technology. They initially ruled out people from the victim's circle and emergency responders at the time, whose DNA profiles were accounted for. In early 2026, saliva samples were taken from approximately 30 to 40 people from the circle of the detective agency for which the suspect worked. The Italian also provided a sample. A high match was found.
Chief Superintendent Stefanie Kohnen confirmed the match. The motive for the killing remains unclear; one question is whether Sonja K. may have recognised the store detective. The suspect has made no comment on the allegations. Nevertheless, investigators hope that he could assist in identifying further accomplices.
Whilst Sonja K.'s parents passed away without learning the identity of their daughter's murderer, her two brothers were informed immediately of the arrest — a result they had waited 31 years for.
Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung