After 31 years: Trial in Amy Lopez murder case begins in August
The Koblenz Regional Court has opened proceedings against a 62-year-old man in the Amy Lopez murder case. The crime took place in June 1994 in Sankt Goar.
After 31 years: Trial in Amy Lopez murder case begins in August
The Koblenz Regional Court has opened main proceedings against a 62-year-old man in the Amy Lopez murder case. The trial is scheduled to begin on 5 August. The prosecution accuses the defendant of killing the then 23-year-old American woman in June 1994 in Sankt Goar.
According to the indictment, the man is alleged to have assaulted the young woman in her holiday apartment, threatened her with a knife and subsequently sexually abused her. He is then said to have stabbed her to death with another knife. The murder weapons were never found.
Investigators had suspended the case in 1994 due to insufficient evidence. It was not until 2022 that the investigation gained fresh momentum when the Koblenz public prosecutor's office resumed the investigation. DNA traces found on the victim's clothing were then analysed. These traces led to the now 62-year-old suspect.
The defendant was arrested in July 2024 and has been held in custody since. He denies the charges. His defence requested his release from custody before the trial began, but the court rejected this.
The 23-year-old Amy Lopez from the United States was staying in the Sankt Goar region on the Rhine in 1994 for a holiday. She was working as an au pair in Germany and used her free time to travel through the country. Her body was discovered by a neighbour in the holiday apartment after he noticed a bloodstain on the front door.
The trial is scheduled for at least four hearing days until 26 August. An expert is to assess the DNA traces, amongst other matters. The hearing takes place before the Grand Criminal Chamber of the Koblenz Regional Court.
Source: SWR
Source: Google News DE — Crime (de)