Munich –
A little more than a year after the death of a 14-year-old teenager in a serious speeding accident in Munich, the trial against the driver begins today.
The public prosecutor’s office accuses the man who, according to the authorities, was chasing the police on the night of the crime (Ref .: 1 Ks 122 Js 210667/19). The now 35-year-old German from Upper Bavaria sped through the city on November 15, 2019 shortly before midnight on the run from a police checkpoint on the opposite lane. According to the police, he ignored several red lights and recorded – according to the prosecutor’s office at more than 120 kilometers an hour – two 14 and 16-year-old youths who were crossing the street at a bus stop. The 14-year-old was thrown 43 meters through the air. He died. The then 16-year-old was seriously injured.
The prosecution believe the man used cocaine and drank alcohol. After that, he is said to have driven through the state capital in oncoming traffic at around 120 km / h because he was actually not allowed to take drugs on probation – but the police had discovered him. He had taken into account that he could “kill an unpredictable number of people,” the authorities said at the time of the indictment in September last year – because it was more important to him not to go to jail for the drugs.
Although the airbag was triggered in the fatal accident, the man initially drove on. He then continued to flee on foot until the police arrested him. The man resisted violently. He was initially in custody and has been serving his suspended suspended sentence since the beginning of May.
The public prosecutor comes to 21 volumes of investigation files. The indictment was 164 pages thick. She also accuses the 35-year-old of endangering road traffic, conducting a prohibited motor vehicle race and assaulting law enforcement officers. The authority had named a total of 48 witnesses and 15 experts in September 2020.
In addition, a so-called dashcam in the windshield of a witness had recorded the driving course of the razor from about 26 seconds before the collision with the killed and injured youth. There are also videos of the interior surveillance of two buses.
There are always fatal accidents in which drivers are traveling far too fast. Convictions for murder are so far rare. According to the case law of the Federal Court of Justice, it depends on the circumstances of the individual case.
In Hamburg, for example, a man was convicted of murder who raced to death a taxi passenger. While fleeing the police, the perpetrator had intentionally driven into the opposite lane at up to 155 kilometers per hour. The district court assumed that he was indifferent to the life of others and his own life.
The accident caused a stir and great sadness in Munich. A week later, around 400 people held a vigil near the accident site. After the accident, the police also came under fire at times. The officials were accused of harassing the driver and thus provoking the accident. The Munich police rejected this.
The court has set twelve trial days for the trial. The verdict for the accused could therefore fall on February 26th. (dpa)
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