TW: mentions of murder
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In March 2023, reports of a murder shocked people across the world - 12-year-old Luise from Freudenberg, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, was killed on 11 March by two girls aged 12 and 13 at the time. According to more detailed information, the two girls lured her into a wooded area and stabbed her a total of 70 times. Luise's body was found a day later.
Although the two girls confessed to the murder, they were not punished. The investigation was closed in September as the two girls were not of criminal age at the time. This sparked a debate in Germany, with many calling for the age of criminal responsibility to be set at an age younger than 14. However, nothing came of this yet, as many rejected this proposal.
Luise was stabbed to death 70 times by two girls
On 11 March 2023, Luise had a play date with two friends. What happened next sounds like something out of a particularly gruesome film: in a wooded area, the two other girls - aged 12 and 13 at the time - stabbed the schoolgirl to death. Luise's body was found the next day and she had received 70 stab wounds. The two girls immediately confessed to the crime and Luise's parents pressed charges.
To this day, little is known about how this happened. In the meantime, it was rumoured that a harmless argument had led to it. The youngest girl is said to have forced her friend, who was a year older, to hold Luise down, while she killed her. Luise's killers will face no legal consequences as they were underage when they killed her.
What happened to her killers?
But how have the two killers managed to get away with it? The German magazines Brisant, t-online and HNA, among others, provide answers to this question. According to them, the two girls, now aged 13 and 14, have since moved away from Freudenberg. They have also been placed under the care of the youth welfare office. Both of them were also supposed to work through their offence in therapeutic facilities.
Both have already completed the first phase of therapy, according to the statement. As a result, one of the girls is already living in a shared flat and is going back to school, while the other girl is also due to leave the psychiatric ward in a few weeks. The girls are to remain in care until their 18th birthday in order to ensure that they and their families can come to terms with the crime they committed.
Even if many people were and still are frustrated by the fact that there was no real punishment for the perpetrators, District Administrator Andreas Müller explains it is still the country's highest responsibility ‘to pave a way back into life for the perpetrators’.
Luise's parents file a new lawsuit
Although the case was closed last September, there may still be a way for Luise's surviving relatives to prosecute the perpetrators for their crime. Last November, the family sued the two girls for compensation for pain and suffering at the Koblenz Regional Court. The surviving dependants are demanding 50,000 euros and 30,000 euros for the next of kin. In this case, unlike in criminal law, the girls can be prosecuted for such offences from the age of seven.
Although some of the perpetrators' parents express understanding for this act, the father of the older killer also clearly points out his daughter's inability to pay. He told RTL:
How is my daughter, who is 14 years old, supposed to pay tens of thousands of euros or more?
On 11 March last year, there was nothing to suggest the horror that Freudenberg and the whole of Germany would find out about a day later. The father of the accomplice described how the girls had had a classic play date:
They arranged to meet up to play. I thought to myself: wonderful, our daughter meets up with other children. Our daughter took a few Wii games with her. I thought they were playing with the Wii.
Unfortunately, cases similar to that of 12-year-old Luise continue to make the news. Just recently, for example, a 15-year-old girl from Alsace disappeared and has been missing ever since. And the case of little Émile from France, who was recently found dead, has also saddened many people.
This article has been translated from two articles from Gentside DE:
- Ein Jahr nach der Tat: Vater einer Täterin spricht über Mord an Luise (12)
- Mord an Luise (12) aus Freudenberg: Das wurde aus den beiden Täterinnen
Read more:
⋙ Charles Manson: Everything you should know about his 'family members' who killed for him
⋙ British man who killed his fatally ill wife in Cyprus avoids murder conviction
⋙ This man was killed by a robot and he's not the first victim
Sources used:
Brisant: Ein Jahr nach Gewalttat an 12-Jähriger Getötete Luise aus Freudenberg: Das machen die Täterinnen heute
t-online: 12-jährige starb durch 70 Messerstiche: Fall Luise: Was ist aus den minderjährigen Täterinnen geworden
HNA: Ein Jahr nach Mord an Luise (12): Landrat erklärt, wie Täterinnen heute leben – und was auf sie zukommt
RTL: Schülerinnen töten Luise (†12) aus Freudenberg: Vater einer Täterin hat eine Vermutung: „Das dürfte die Geburtsstunde für die Tat gewesen sein
