A 70-year-old former US soldier will face trial in Germany on Monday for the alleged murder of an 18-year-old student in 1978, US authorities tracked down the suspect using DNA samples found on the victim’s clothes, using forensics methods not available at the time of the murder.
According to German media reports, the suspect, who was 24 years old at the time of the crime, was stationed in Schweinfurt, Bavaria. Prosecutors allege that the man stabbed the teenager 14 times, who was reportedly pregnant, in an attempt to conceal their relationship.
The suspect, who has denied all charges, was arrested in Nebraska, US, in 2023 and then extradited to Germany.
The trial is expected to shed light on the decades-old case that has remained unsolved until recent developments led to the suspect’s arrest and extradition.