An unidentified 31-year-old American man has been charged with murder and other offenses for attacking two female US tourists near a castle in Germany in June.
Prosecutors announced Thursday that the American suspect faces charges of murder, rape resulting in death, attempted murder and possession of child pornography after he pushed the women into a ravine and fatally wounded one of them.
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Officials say the attack took place on June 14 near Marienbruecke, a bridge over a gorge near Neuschwanstein Castle, said to be one of Germany’s most famous tourist attractions.
Marienbruecke (Marien Bridge) in front of Neuschwanstein Castle near Schwangau, Germany. (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/via Getty Images/File)
Prosecutors say the suspect encountered the two tourists, ages 21 and 22, by chance on a hiking trail and dragged them off the trail.
In a statement, German prosecutors said the man forced the elderly woman to the ground and tried to undress her.
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A struggle then ensued, and prosecutors say the suspect allegedly pushed her down a steep slope. He fell about 165 feet and suffered minor injuries.
View of Pollat Gorge with Neuschwanstein Castle in the background in Schwangau, Germany. An American man was charged Thursday with murder and other offenses in an attack on two American women near the castle. (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa via AP/File)
According to officials, the suspect then allegedly strangled the younger woman until she was unconscious and raped her before pushing her down the slope. She succumbed to her injuries and died.
Prosecutors said they also seized a laptop and cellphones from the suspect that contained child sexual abuse material.
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Authorities say the women did not know the man before they met, and the suspect was arrested shortly after the attack.
Due to German privacy laws, the suspect’s name has not been released. Prosecutors say the case was filed in state court in Kempten, which will have to decide if and when the case will go to trial.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
