German fugitive captured in Italian hospital after accident
After days on the run, a German convicted murderer serving a life sentence was arrested in a hospital in the Veneto region. He had escaped during a temporary release in Germany.
German fugitive captured in Italian hospital after accident
In the Veneto region, Italian police have arrested a 42-year-old man convicted of murder who had been on the run for several days. The German was found in a hospital where he was admitted following an accident, as reported by the Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office (LKA). Source: Spiegel
The man escaped on Tuesday afternoon during a temporary release from Peine prison. Together with a prison employee, he had visited his mother's apartment. He took advantage of a stop at a garage nearby to flee on a motorcycle parked there.
After unsuccessful searches, the LKA launched an appeal to the public with a photo, name and description of the wanted man. Several clues led investigators to Italy, where Italian officers arrested the fugitive. The circumstances of the accident were not yet clear. Investigators provided no details about the man's injuries.
The convicted man is serving a life sentence for murder and aggravated attempted sexual assault. In 2010, he killed Melanie, then 23 years old from Peine, with several knife wounds because she refused to have sexual relations with him. The Hildesheim District Court sentenced him to life imprisonment in 2011, recognising the exceptional severity of the crime. Early release after 15 years was therefore practically ruled out. According to the ministry, the man must remain in prison for at least 19 years.