Crime – Frankfurt am Main – Detention until at least 2025 for the murderer of Jakob von Metzler – Panorama
Frankfurt/Kassel (dpa) – 20 years after the kidnapping and murder of eleven-year-old Jakob von Metzler in Frankfurt, the perpetrator is still in custody. The convicted killer, who has since changed his name, applied for a suspended life sentence in 2017. In May 2019, the district court in Kassel refused admission and set a minimum period of 23 years, a court spokesman for the German Press Agency said. No approval is possible before September 2025.
The perpetrator, who was called Magnus Gäfgen before the name change, was sentenced in 2003 to life imprisonment with particular severity of guilt. This means that early release from prison after 15 years is legally possible, but in practice it is almost impossible.
The case has caused outrage across the country. On September 27, 2002, Gäfgen lured eleven-year-old Jakob, son of a well-known banking family, into his apartment and fixed him with adhesive tape. He demanded a ransom of one million euros from the family. The perpetrator wanted to live a “luxurious life with rich friends,” the verdict said. The then law student wanted the child’s death from the start, together with the Frankfurt district court.
The police arrested Gäfgen three days after the kidnapping. Only after a roar of pain did he tell the officers the place where he had hidden the body – the police at the time still assumed that the child was alive and in urgent need of help. The threat during police interrogation triggered a controversial torture debate.
Numerous appeals were filed, but the judgment was not set aside. He is serving his time in Kassel. Because of the threat of pain, the state of Hesse finally had to pay him 3,000 euros plus interest in compensation.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220922-99-853349/2