In a shocking incident that has sent shockwaves across Germany, two schoolgirls recently confessed to murdering their friend, a 12-year-old girl, and were subsequently placed in care. The horrific incident has left the country grappling with questions about the alarming increase in violent crimes committed by minors and the societal factors that may be contributing to such behavior. As the investigation continues and more details emerge, many are left wondering what led these young girls down such a dark path and what needs to be done to prevent such tragedies from happening again in the future.
German social services have taken two schoolgirls into care after they confessed to the murder of their 12-year-old friend in a wooded area near their home. Luise, the victim, reportedly had a sleepover with the two girls, who are said to be her best friends at school. The three friends went for a walk in a forest where the older girl urged the younger girl to stab Luise with a kitchen knife, before hiding the body in a bush. On Saturday around 5:30 pm, the older girl called the dead girl’s parents to say they had parted company with Luise, who was heading home, but not answering her phone. When Luise’s body was found on Sunday, police questioned the two girl-friends, who provided conflicting testimony. The police presented them with contradictions in their testimony, and they eventually confessed to the crime. The two girls are aged 12 and 13 and will not face prosecution for the killing as the age of criminal responsibility starts at 14.
Prosecutors insisted that this does not mean that nothing will be done. While German courts will not put anyone under 14 on trial, they can make orders on child custody and residential care. The two girls still have contact with their parents but have been taken from their homes. Local social services reported on Wednesday that the girls have been taken into care “because the children are not attending their previous schools.” “This is an extraordinary situation that requires a lot of empathy and prudent action,” said Mr Thomas Wüst, head of the district youth welfare department.
The killing has shocked Germany where just 19 children under 14 were suspects in crimes in 2021; of them, just four were girls. Mr Hendrik Wüst, the state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, said he was “stunned” that “children could be capable of such acts”. The motive for the murder remains unclear, but local state prosecutor Mario Mannweiler confirmed that there was “no indication of sexual offences”. He further said they “made statements about the matter, and in the end, admitted the crime,” but declined to give further details, adding only that “emotion in some way played a role”.
The two girls were not previously known to police, and prosecutor Mannweiler agreed that they would now be protected by the law as “they still have their lives ahead of them, even if they have gone as far wrong as is conceivable”. He said it was likely that threats against the families of the perpetrators could make police protection necessary.
While the homepage of Luise’s school said the school “lost our pupil, classmate, and friend Luise at the weekend,” social media took a different tone. “She was your best friend. How could you?” wrote one. Another wrote, “Monster!”
Luise reportedly had a sleepover from Friday to Saturday with the two girls, said to be her best friends in school. According to local media reports, the three went for a walk in a forest where the older girl urged the younger girl to stab Luise with a kitchen knife, before hiding the body in a bush.
Luise’s death followed after the older schoolgirl convinced the younger to stab Luise, hiding the body in a bush. Luise’s parents called the police on Saturday when she was not answering the phone. Search teams, sniffer dogs and police helicopters were utilised to find her, before police eventually found her body in a forest.
German authorities are treating this as an extremely serious case, with the local state prosecutor saying “what could possible be a motive for children is not necessarily something an adult would understand.” While the motive for the murder remains unclear, it has been confirmed that there was “no indication of a sexual offense”.
