Germany’s Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof) has dismissed the appeal of a man convicted of the murder of a nine-year-old girl, the court announced Monday.
The man had previously been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Regional Court of Chemnitz for the crime, with the court also determining that the severity of the offense warranted the maximum penalty.
According to findings presented at trial, the defendant began a relationship with the victim’s mother, who had fled Ukraine for Germany in 2022, in February 2024. Following the couple’s separation in May 2024, the defendant allegedly decided to kill the woman’s elder daughter in an act of revenge. On the morning of the crime, he intercepted the girl on her way to school, persuaded her to enter his vehicle and subsequently killed her in a forested area.
The Regional Court convicted the man of murder, citing the elements of treachery and base motives as aggravating factors. A review of the case by the Federal Court of Justice found no legal errors detrimental to the defendant (Decision of August 13, 2025 – 5 StR 324/25).