Murder case after 50 years: the accused fights for acquittal in Kolitzheim!

Schweinfurt: Cold Case vor Gericht – US-Amerikaner wegen Mordes an junger Frau angeklagt, Verhandlung 50 Jahre später beginnt.
Schweinfurt: Cold Case in court-American charged with murder of young wife, negotiation begins 50 years later. (Symbolbild/MW)

Murder case after 50 years: the accused fights for acquittal in Kolitzheim!

Kolitzheim, Deutschland - The clarification of a Cold Cases that has employed the region for over 45 years is approaching. On July 9, 2025, the trial of the murder of a young woman in 1980 began in front of the Schweinfurt district court. The case that occurred in Kolitzheim did not let go of the local community and is of great interest because it is negotiated for almost half a century after the crime. The public prosecutor's office already advocated the previous week, while today the defense of the 71-year-old American presented her arguments. The accused is suspected of ending the life of the 18-year-old woman with several knife stings.

A bitter shadow is above this negotiation procedure: The accused was arrested on June 21st, Nebraska, and is now waiting for its delivery to Germany. Investigators assume that he had a relationship with the young woman who led to the fateful incident. According to the public prosecutor, the accused could only be responsible for murder, since all other possible charges are already time -barred. DNA traces and testimonies strain him heavily.

The arguments of the defense

The defendant's defense today emphasized that there is no valid evidence of your client's guilt and that he must therefore be acquitted. They asked the judges to take into account all factors that could speak for the accused's innocence. Next week the second defense lawyer will advocate and continue the case in the spotlight.

In addition to the legal aspects, there is indications of a tense situation between the victim and the accused: it is believed that the young woman threatened to publicly make the affair with the accused, which may have contributed to the fatal incident. The crime scene where the cruel deed happened is located on a street between Kolitzheim and Unterspiesheim - a place that has now gained sad celebrity.

a desperate waiting for justice

This negotiation could be a turn in the decades of struggle for justice for the victim and her family. The local community looks at the action in the courtroom and hopes that clarity will finally be brought into the case after all these years. The public prosecutor is firmly convinced that the accused is responsible for the murder and will do everything possible to prove this in the legal proceedings.

The indictment and defense are opposed to a discussion that includes not only legal but also human aspects. It remains to be seen how the judges will evaluate the evidence and arguments in the coming weeks and whether the case can finally lead to justice after such a long time. Information from the current process and the background to the case provide Mainfranken24 and and SPIEGEL-and all are excited.

Details
OrtKolitzheim, Deutschland
Quellen