A 19-year-old German medical student and the daughter of a senior European Union (EU) official was murdered. According to the reports, a teenage Afghan asylum seeker, 17, confessed to the killing.
The victim was identified as Maria Ladenburger. According to The Telegraph, she was raped then killed after leaving a student party in Freiburg, located in southern Germany. The attack reportedly happened on Oct. 16 but it was not stated why the reports surfaced only now. The 17-year-old suspect, who was not identified yet, will be tried next year.
Maria is the daughter of Dr. Clemens Ladenburger. He has been an assistant to the director of the European Commission's legal wing since 2008. Maria was said to have left the party and cycled her way home as per usual but was attacked. After being raped, she was drowned in the River Dreisam and 40 investigators were deployed in order to comb the area for clues or evidence.
A black scarf was found and it was confirmed to have belonged to Maria but the exact date was not stated. Three weeks from when the scarf was found, a CCTV footage was reviewed showing captured moments from a tram station.
Accordingly, the footage showed an asylum seeker who wore an attention-grabbing hairstyle that was dyed blond. A seven-inch strand of hair was found on the scarf and believed to have belonged to the man in the CCTV footage. A DNA test was said to be done and his DNA matched with the crime scene. The arrest was made only this Friday.
Accordingly, the migrant, who arrived in Germany last year, was unarmed during the attack. At the time of his arrival, he was an unaccompanied minor and has been living with a local family in the city.
Daily Express also reported that Maria worked at a refugee center during her spare time. Investigators were still trying to determine if Maria knew her killer before the attack happened.
Maria Ladenburger's family released a statement regarding the death of their daughter. They said that Maria was a singular ray of sunshine of their family for 19 years and that they thank God for giving her to them. They added that they are sure Maria is now safe with God. A funeral was held for Maria in October at the Notre Dame des Graces Church in Brussels.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has not commented on this yet. She has been blasted by many for allowing the number of refugees to inflate in the country. Many attacks have been reported in Germany involving asylum seekers.
