His DNA had been on file since his conviction in 1999 of attempting to rape a 16-year-old girl.
BERLIN: A German court on Friday sentenced an 81-year-old man to life in jail for the 1994 rape and murder of a US tourist, a conviction made possible by advances in DNA technology.
Amy Lopez, 24, was found dead near the historic Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, located on the Rhine river in the western city of Koblenz.
Her body was discovered by children and bore stab wounds, severe head injuries and injuries consistent with strangling.
Police were initially unable to identify the perpetrator but in February this year, three decades after the murder, announced they had arrested a suspect, named only as Hans S., in a retirement home.
His DNA had been on file since his conviction in 1999 of attempting to rape a 16-year-old girl.
The genetic data had later been deleted but police obtained a new saliva sample from the suspect which matched a DNA trace found on Lopez’s clothing, prosecutors said at the time.
Koblenz’s regional court found Hans S. guilty of rape and murder, finding he had led Lopez on a secluded path under the pretext of showing her the way to a youth hostel.
It said the circumstances of the killing meant he bore a “particular gravity of guilt”, which will make it harder for him to be considered for early release.
The court found that Hans S. had been “looking for a victim to rape” and that Lopez “was tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
Lopez’s family were co-plaintiffs in the case.
