Germany: Man gets life in jail for US tourist's rape, murder
The crime was unsolved for over three decades before new DNA proof made it possible to arrest and convict the now 81-year-old. His victim, Amy Lopez, was 24 at the time of her murder.
A German court has sentenced an 81-year-old man to life in prison for the 1994 rape and murder of US tourist Amy Lopez in Koblenz. Hans S., whose last name is withheld under German privacy laws, was only identified and arrested this year using new DNA technology. Lopez's body was found near the historic Ehrenbreitstein Fortress in September 1994, bearing stab wounds, severe head injuries, and strangling injuries.
The court found that S. lured Lopez into a secluded building, falsely promising a hostel, and then raped and stabbed her nine times. S. had a history of sexual offenses, with his DNA previously on file from a 1999 conviction. He confessed to the crime and provided a DNA sample voluntarily, stating it brought him "an enormous burden." The victim's family attended the trial, with her father and brother present during the verdict.
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