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American man admits to attacking 2 U.S. tourists, killing Naperville woman near German castle

BERLIN (AP) — An American man on Monday admitted to charges of murder and rape after he allegedly pushed two U.S. women down a ravine, killing 21-year-old Eva Liu from Naperville near Germany's Neuschwanstein castle last year.

The 31-year-old defendant admitted to the charges during the start of his trial, the German news agency dpa reported. Defendants in the German legal system do not formally enter pleas to charges.

“The defendant has committed an unfathomable crime,” defense lawyer Philip Mueller said in a statement. The defendant, whose name hasn’t been released in line with German privacy rules, confirmed his lawyer’s statement was correct but did not answer any questions.

The defendant is charged with murder, rape with fatal consequences, attempted murder and possession of child pornography. Murder charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison in Germany.

The attack happened on June 14 last year near the Marienbruecke, a bridge over a gorge close to the castle that offers a view of Neuschwanstein, one of Germany’s most famous tourist attractions.

Prosecutors say the defendant met by chance the two women tourists — Liu and a 22-year-old — on a hiking path and lured them off the trail. They said he apparently first forced Liu to the ground.

When the elder woman tried to help Liu, a scuffle ensued and the suspect allegedly pushed her down a steep slope. She fell about 165 feet and sustained a head injury, bruises and grazes but survived.

The man then allegedly strangled Liu until she was unconscious and raped her, prosecutors said, before pushing her down the slope as well. She died.

Prosecutors said they secured a laptop and cellphones from the suspect containing child sexual abuse material.

Authorities say the women didn’t know the man before they met near Neuschwanstein. The suspect was taken into custody shortly after the attack.

A verdict is expected to be announced in mid-March at the earliest.

Liu, who attended Naperville Central High School and later Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign last May. She was about to start a career as a software engineer for Microsoft.

A 31-year-old American man accused of murder stands in the dock behind his lawyers in a courtroom at the district court in Kempten, Southern Germany, on Monday. The man admitted to charges of murder and rape after he allegedly pushed two U.S. women down a ravine, fatally injuring one of them near Germany's Neuschwanstein castle last year. Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa via AP
Eva Liu
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