German court jails teen to 8 years over murder of 6-year-old

A court in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Thursday sentenced a 15-year-old to seven years and nine months in prison over the death of a 6-year-old.

What we know about the crime

The court heard that the victim had been out playing but did not arrive home at the agreed time on September 14 last year. In the evening, the child was found with heavy stab wounds in a hedge by a soccer field. Rescuers tried to revive the youngster, but he died later in hospital.

The teenager was the last person who had seen the victim alive on September 14, police said. He was also said to have contradicted himself during questioning. Traces of his DNA were also found on the 15-centimeter-long (six-inch) murder knife.

The defendant, who was 14 at the time of the killing, and his victim's family knew each other from the village.

Police said the teenager had been reported to them shortly after the crime became apparent. A search of the family's apartment took place immediately, but the suspected weapon was not found and the allegation against him could not be substantiated at the time. He was not arrested until nearly two weeks later.

Late admission of guilt

The defendant only finally confessed to choking the boy and killing him with multiple stab wounds last month.

The public prosecutor's office had also initiated investigations against the defendant's brother, a development that became known only shortly after the trial began.

At the beginning of April, after a long silence, the defendant made a partial confession and spoke about the involvement of another person who was not his brother.

The defendant was originally charged with manslaughter but prosecutors pursued a charge of murder, demanding a custodial sentence of eight years.

A lawyer for the murdered child's parents, who were represented as co-plaintiffs, demanded the maximum sentence possible under the circumstances of 10 years.

Meanwhile, the defendant's defense attorney had said he was guilty of manslaughter, calling for the sentence to be limited to seven years.