A 71-year-old former U.S. soldier was sentenced to life in prison by a German court on Tuesday for the fatal stabbing of a young woman 47 years ago.
The man, who was 24 at the time, has always maintained his innocence; his lawyers had argued for an acquittal before the Schweinfurt Regional Court in south-western Germany.
One of the defendant’s two attorneys requested a psychiatric evaluation in the event of a conviction, arguing the man suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder at the time of the crime.
The lawyer claimed the condition significantly impaired his client’s ability to control his actions, although he said this was not an admission of guilt, the court denied the request.
The prosecution had called for a life sentence, citing the discovery of the defendant’s DNA on the clothing of the 18-year-old victim.
In his closing arguments, the senior prosecutor referenced two witnesses who said the defendant had confessed to the killing years later.
The soldier was stationed in Schweinfurt at the time of the murder.
Investigators believe the then-married soldier was having an affair with the young woman, a trainee teacher.
On April 20, 1978, he allegedly stabbed her 14 times near Schweinfurt, the Prosecutors argued that the killing was motivated by her threat to reveal the affair and a possible pregnancy to his wife.
However, because of the statute of limitations, only a murder conviction was still legally possible, the verdict is not yet final.