Murder of Amy Lopez in 1994 in Koblenz: 81-year-old sentenced to life imprisonment
An 81-year-old man was sentenced by Koblenz Regional Court for the murder of 24-year-old US medical student Amy Lopez. The crime took place in 1994 – a skin cell provided the breakthrough.
Koblenz Regional Court delivers verdict after 30 years: Life sentence for Amy Lopez's killer
More than three decades after the death of American medical student Amy Lopez, Koblenz Regional Court has delivered its verdict. As Google News AT — Crime (de) reports, an 81-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. The presiding judge Rupert Stehlin also determined that the crime was of particular severity.
The chamber thereby followed the unanimous assessment of the prosecution and the secondary prosecution representatives. The defence had also requested a life sentence, but disputed that the crime was of particular severity. The defendant had already confessed to the act at the start of the trial – which began on 18 August – through his lawyer, without going into details.
European trip as a gift, death in Koblenz
Amy Lopez, 24 years old and a newly enrolled medical student from the United States, received a European trip from her father Robert Rimbau as a graduation gift. On the morning of 26 September 1994, she was on her way to Festung Ehrenbreitstein and the youth hostel there. She hiked along the Felsenweg. At 08:50, she was last seen alive. Around an hour later, at approximately 10:15, children playing found her corpse in the remote General-von-Aster-Zimmer. According to police, Lopez was raped and brutally murdered.
She had wanted to visit her brother in Barcelona after coming to Germany. Just a few hours before her death, she had spoken on the telephone with her father – the trip, Rimbau said, had brought her great enjoyment.
Three decades without result, then the decisive lead
The investigation proceeded for years without result. Possible suspects were examined, but suspicion did not solidify in any case. According to former chief investigator Harald Süßenbach, who reported to the Rhein-Zeitung, the FBI even became involved – without success.
In 2024, Koblenz police launched a new effort: a call for witnesses, the offering of a reward, and a segment in the television programme Aktenzeichen XY … ungelöst. The investigators released an offender profile, according to which the man was between 18 and 35 years old at the time of the crime, had no personal relationship to the victim, and had probably already committed violent and sexual offences.
The crucial breakthrough came through DNA: Male DNA traces had been secured on evidence items. The Hessian State Criminal Office stated that this DNA had already been entered into a police database in 1999 – at that time, the man had been convicted of the attempted rape of a 16-year-old in Koblenz. More modern analysis methods might have yielded more from the traces, but the original DNA sample had already been destroyed due to statutory time limits.
Only a voluntary DNA sample provided by the 81-year-old in 2026 led to investigative success. Specifically, it was a skin cell that enabled the match. In February 2026, the man was arrested – he was living in a nursing home at that time, as the Rhein-Zeitung reported.
Prosecution identified three murder elements
In May 2026, Koblenz prosecution brought charges and outlined the alleged sequence of events. The prosecution saw three murder elements as satisfied: gratification of sexual impulse, treachery, and base motives.
According to prosecutors, the perpetrator harboured rape fantasies in the days before the act and was cycling around Koblenz looking for victims. He was carrying a knife and handcuffs.
On the day of the crime, he allegedly drew attention to Lopez at around 09:00 at a bus stop. Investigators believe that the then 49-year-old approached her on the Felsenweg and, under false pretences, lured her to the secluded General-von-Aster-Zimmer, where he attacked the unsuspecting and defenceless victim. He allegedly restrained her, undressed her, and sexually abused her before he killed her with multiple knife wounds. During the crime, he allegedly also struck her with a stone and strangled her. According to the charges, he subsequently fled by bicycle and disposed of the weapon, the handcuffs, and other items belonging to the victim in the Rhine.
Chief prosecutor Mario Mannweiler stated that the accused had confessed to the act but could not remember the exact sequence of events. DNA traces found on a stone, on the waistband of trousers, and on the victim's thigh match the DNA of the convicted man in many characteristics. The court determined in its verdict that the man restrained Lopez, sexually abused her, and killed her with nine knife wounds.
Father identified his daughter at the crime scene
For Amy Lopez's family, her death was an open wound for decades. Her father Robert Rimbau described in October 2025 to the Rhein-Zeitung how the loss of his daughter had deeply affected him. Amy had wanted to become a doctor and had been a cheerful, open-minded woman. The entire family had travelled to Koblenz and visited the crime scene. Rimbau identified his daughter personally.
"When I saw my dead daughter, I was incredibly angry," said the man from Texas. "I wish I could forgive her murderer. But I cannot."
With the verdict now delivered, the family members at least have the possibility of finding closure.
Source: Google News AT — Crime (de)