Trial opens 32 years after American woman murdered in Germany
The man is accused of luring Amy Lopez under false pretenses into a secluded room, where he then allegedly handcuffed her, sexually assaulted her and killed her.
An 81-year-old man took the stand in Koblenz district court on Tuesday, admitting to the 1994 murder of American tourist Amy Lopez. The defendant, whose identity is protected under German privacy laws, confessed to the brutal killing of the 24-year-old woman during his trial. Prosecutors alleged that the defendant lured Lopez into a secluded area of the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress in Koblenz, where he sexually assaulted and murdered her, inflicting multiple knife wounds.
The crime remained unsolved for 30 years until investigators re-examined old DNA evidence, leading to his arrest in late February at a local nursing home. The suspect, who was 49 years old at the time of the crime, has been in pretrial detention since his arrest. Eight trial days are scheduled, with a verdict anticipated in September.
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