Latvian sentenced for murdering Swiss camper
A 39-year-old Latvian man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for killing a 31-year-old Swiss man in Germany.
He was found guilty of manslaughter by the court in Waldshut, Germany.
The accused confessed to the crime at a hearing, but did not explain his motive. The prosecutor had called for 14 years’ imprisonment, while the defence had argued for a sentence of 11.5 years’ imprisonment.
“We would have come to the same conclusion even without the defendant’s confession on Tuesday,” said the judge when announcing the judgement on Thursday. Based on the evidence, there was no doubt, he said.
The facts of the case date back to June 8 last year. According to the indictment, the Latvian, who was working in Germany as a labourer, hit the victim on the head with a log. The Swiss man, who lived in canton St Gallen, had been camping in the wild on the banks of the Rhine at Jestetten, near the Swiss border. He had wanted to spend the night there in a hammock.
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