Paderborn (dpa) – In the process of the alleged arms sale to the later murderer of the Kassel district president Walter Lübcke, the public prosecutor’s office has applied for the suspension of the proceedings. The prosecutors want to wait until the sentence to life imprisonment against Stephan Ernst for the murder of Lübke is final and he would therefore have to testify as a witness, they justified their application to the Paderborn district court on Wednesday.
An appeal is still pending against the murder verdict of the Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt am Main. Ernst had therefore announced that he initially wanted to make use of his right to refuse to testify. The district court plans to announce next week whether the application will be granted.
It has been negotiating against a 66-year-old from Borgentreich in the Höxter district since the beginning of January. The Attorney General accuses the accused of having sold the later murder weapon to Ernst. In doing so, he had negligently contributed to the death of a human being through intentional illegal action. The accused denies this.
Walter Lübcke was shot dead at close range on June 1, 2019 on the terrace of his house. The act is considered the first right-wing extremist murder of a politician in the Federal Republic. Lübcke had spoken out in favor of taking in refugees.
All indications that Ernst is said to have illegally acquired the murder weapon from the accused come from Ernst himself. Even on the third day of the hearing, the district court was unable to gain any new insights from questioning other witnesses. The trial will continue on Wednesday next week.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220119-99-771736/2
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