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HANNOVER, Germany (AP) — A 19-year-old man was convicted for
strangling a boy in a case that attracted attention because of the
later discovery of the boy's dismembered body and the macabre theft
of his head from a grave.
A court in the western town of Hildesheim found the defendant
guilty Monday of causing bodily harm leading to the March 1998
death of 13-year-old Markus Wachtel in nearby Peine, where the boy
lived, court spokesman Michael Meyer-Lamp said.
The man, who wasn't identified, was sentenced to six years in a
youth prison. Defense lawyer Hans Holtermann said he would appeal.
Prosecutors said the man strangled Wachtel after an argument.
The defendant had spoken out only once during the trial to protest
his innocence, but had said shortly after the crime that he hadn't
wanted the boy's death.
No evidence showed the defendant was involved in dismembering
the boy's body, which was found a few days later in a gravel pit.
Police have failed to find those responsible and have also been
unable to find who dug up the boy's grave in 1999 and removed his
skull.
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