Keira Gross (24 September 2003 – 7 March 2018) was a 14-year-old German girl who was stabbed to death at her home in Berlin on 7 March 2018. In November 2018 15-year-old Edgar H. (also known by the pseudonym "Hannes E.") was found guilty of Keira's murder and sentenced to nine years in youth detention. The murder attracted the attention of the far-right who spread false information blaming immigrants for the killing.
 The murder took place in the apartment block on the near right | |
  Plauener Straße Murder of Keira Gross (Berlin) Plauener Straße in Berlin | |
| Native name | Mordfall Keira G. |
|---|---|
| Date | 7 March 2018 |
| Location | Plauener Straße, Alt-Hohenschönhausen, Berlin, Germany |
| Coordinates | 52°32′20.8″N 13°30′33.7″E / 52.539111°N 13.509361°E |
| Cause | Stabbing |
| Deaths | Keira Gross (aged 14 years) |
| Convicted |
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| Convictions |
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| Sentence |
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Background
editKeira Gross was born on 24 September 2003 in Berlin.[1] The 14-year-old lived with her mother Karin Gross in an apartment on Plauener Straße in the east Berlin suburb of Alt-Hohenschönhausen.[2] Karin was a single mother and Keira was her only child.[2] Keira was an 8th grade student at the Grüner Campus Malchow.[3][4] She was a keen ice skater and regularly trained at the nearby Berliner TSC indoor sports stadium.[2][5] In January 2018 she became Berlin champion in her age group for speed skating over 1,500 meters.[6][7]
In 2016 and 2017 there were two high-profile murders of German girls by immigrants. In October 2016 19-year-old medical student Maria Ladenburger was raped and murdered in Freiburg by Afghan Hussein Khavari.[8][9] In December 2017 15-year old Mia Valentin was murdered in Kandel by her ex-boyfriend Abdul Dawodzai, an Afghan immigrant.[10][11]
Murder
editOn 7 March 2018 Karin Gross received a phone message from Keira saying that she was home and asking her mother to call her when she was coming home.[2] As Karin left work she tried to contact Keira several times but received no response.[2] At around 5.30pm Karin arrived back at their apartment on Plauener Straße and found Keira sitting in-front of the couch, gagged by a bloodied scarf.[2][5] Karin contacted emergency services who talked her through resuscitating Keira.[12] Medics arrived in nine minutes and spent 90 minutes trying to save Keira's life before she died in-front her mother.[5][13] She had been stabbed 23 times - the first to the neck and the rest to the upper body and back.[12][14] Three of the stabs - to the neck, heart and lung - would have been fatal.[3][14]
Investigation
editKeira's autopsy confirmed that she had been a victim of homicide.[15] On the evening of the murder neighbours had heard arguing and door slamming from Keira's apartment.[15][16] Analysis of Keira's phone messages led the police to identify a suspect.[15] On 11 March 2018 15-year-old Edgar H. was arrested on a charge of manslaughter.[6][17] He was white, born in Germany and a church goer.[2] He was given the legal pseudonym "Hannes E." due to his age.[2] He was in the 9th grade at the same school as Keira and was known to her.[3][4] Keira was said to be infatuated with "Hannes" and had a photo of him in her room but, according to her mother, they weren't in a relationship and Keira spoke about "Hannes" like a brother.[2]
After being arrested "Hannes" confessed to stabbing Keira and claimed that she had wanted to die.[6][17] This was rejected by the police, prosecutors, her family, friends and others who knew her.[18] DNA found at the murder scene matched "Hannes"'.[19] According to prosecutors, the murder was premeditated. In the days preceding the murder "Hannes" had informed his school friends in detail how he intended to carry out the murder.[2] He had told them that he wanted to stab someone in the neck, that he wanted to taste human flesh and set buildings on fire but they did not take him seriously.[12] He had been planning to murder Keira since at least 1 March 2018 and had chosen her as his victim because she would trust him due to her feelings for him.[20] Some time before the murder he had dyed his hair green, painted his face white to look the Joker and wore Joker playing cards around his neck.[2][12]
On the day of the murder Keira and "Hannes" had exchanged WhatsApp messages and arranged to meet at her home to do homework together.[4][12] "Hannes" went to Keira's home with a backpack containing an 11 cm kitchen knife, a change of clothes, rubber gloves, mask, plastic hair covers and shoes.[2][12][20] After the murder he took Keira's mobile phone and threw it into a lake to hide their WhatsApp exchanges.[2] Minutes after the murder he called one of his friends to confirm that he had carried out the murder.[2] He then returned home to Weißensee, placed the knife back in his parent's kitchen and put the backpack in his room before playing League of Legends.[2]
Murder trial
editThe trial of "Hannes" began on 25 September 2018 at the 13th Criminal Division of the Berlin Regional Court behind closed doors due to the defendant's age.[12][21] Karin Gross was a co-plaintiff in the case.[21][22] "Hannes" had refused to be interviewed by forensic psychiatrists after being arrested so they had to observe his behaviour in court and determined that he was fully responsible for his actions.[23] According to psychiatrists "Hannes" showed no signs of having a personality disorder or a mental illness.[2] On the eighth day of the trial "Hannes" gave a statement to the court in which he again claimed that Keira had asked to be killed.[23][24]
Prosecutors requested a sentence of nine years and ten months but defence lawyers had wanted a much shorter prison sentence for what they claimed was a "minor case of manslaughter at best".[21][24] On 22 November 2018 "Hannes" was found guilty of murder and sentenced to nine years in a youth detention center.[23][25] This was one year less than the maximum sentence as "Hannes" has no prior criminal convictions and had made a partial confession.[12] According to the verdict, he acted "out of pure murderous intent" (German: aus reiner Mordlust) and "wanted to see if he could handle committing a murder".[12][26] He had been preoccupied with killing a person for a long time and "only cared about killing a person".[12] According to the verdict, the claim by "Hannes" that Keira had wanted to be killed was "purely invented".[14] [27] Karin Gross described the sentence as inadequate but said she had neither hatred nor anger towards "Hannes".[27]
"Hannes" appealed the verdict to the Federal Court of Justice but on 13 August 2019 the court rejected the appeal and confirmed the Berlin Regional Court's verdict.[20][28] On 18 November 2020 the Federal Constitutional Court refused to hear "Hannes"' constitutional appeal.[29] "Hannes", whose parents believe he is innocent, subsequently appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on the grounds that his conviction was based on a confessions he made during his interrogation when he had not been advised of his right to consult his parents and that he had not had the opportunity to talk confidentially with his mother.[18] As of July 2024 the case was pending at the ECHR.[30]
Aiding and abetting trial
editMany of "Hannes"' friends knew about his murder plans but most were able to convince the authorities that they had not taken the plans seriously.[31] In February 2020 prosecutors charged a friend of "Hannes" with aiding and abetting manslaughter.[32][33] According to prosecutors, "Klara J.", who was 14-yeard-old at the time of Keira's murder, had chatted with "Hannes" prior to the murder and agreed to give him a false alibi by claiming that they were together at a shopping mall at the time of the murder.[32][34]
The trial of "Klara" began on 13 April 2021 at the Berlin Regional Court behind closed doors.[31][35] As of 7 May 2021 no verdict had been given on the case.[34]
Far-right misinformation
editThe day after the murder Berlin Police issued a press release about the killing but provided very few details for fear of jeopardising the criminal investigation.[2][36] Soon after this the far-right started spreading misinformation about the murder and exploiting it to further their political cause, posting messages on Twitter and Facebook with hashtag #Keira blaming immigrants for the murder.[2][37][38] Even though the perpetrator had not been identified they assumed that, since Keira had been stabbed to death, a non-German had done it because "no German could ever do such a thing".[2][36] A link was also made to the murders of Maria Ladenburger and Mia Valentin.[39] On 8 March 2018 the far-right Halle Leaks website claimed without any evidence that the perpetrator was a refugee and described the murder as "Kandel 2.0", a reference to the murder of Mia Valentin in Kandel.[37][40] The far-right PI News blog claimed on 9 March 2018 that Keira was the victim of "adolescent migrants" admitted early to accelerate population replacement, a core far-right conspiracy theory.[37][41] The far-right journalist David Berger published a post on his Philosophia perennis blog blaming the opening of the borders to refugees for a "knife epidemic" and that young people were being "slaughtered in a bestial manner.[40] On 12 March 2018 the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) posted a graphic on Facebook with the title "KNIFE EPIDEMIC RAMPANT" which listed 11 crimes involving knives, including Keira's murder, and blaming them on Turks, Kurds, Chechens, Afghans, Eritreans, Gambians and Syrians.[42] In fact, only five of the crimes were committed by foreigners but nevertheless the post was shared almost 3,000 times.[42]
On 11 March 2018 Berlin Police announced that they had arrested a suspect but again provided very few details.[36] In accordance with German Press Council guidelines, they didn't disclose the suspect's ethnic or religious background.[2][17][39] This is resulted in further rumours on social media about the perpetrator, such as that he was an asylum seeker from Afghanistan.[17] The far-right Compact magazine claimed that the rumours were justified due to the police's refusal to give further information.[39] After the arrest Gunnar Lindemann, an AfD member of the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin, tweeted asking why the police weren't providing further details such as the origin of the perpetrator.[6][43] Similar sentiments were posted by lawyer and AfD member Maximilian Krah.[36] Lindemann was supported by Julian Reichelt, editors-in-chief of the right-wing Bild newspaper.[39]
One of the main propagators of the misinformation was Lutz Bachmann, convicted criminal and founder of the far-right anti-Islamic Pegida group.[2][40] On 12 March 2018 Bachmann posted a message online, falsely claiming he knew the identity of the murderer whom he labelled a "beast from the Caucasus", a "Chechen Muslim" and a "former refugee".[2][38][44] Bachmann even posted a picture of a boy, his name and Facebook profile.[2][45] The boy had no connection to the murder and, in an unusual move, Berlin Police were compelled to respond to Bachmann's post which they described as fake news.[2][46] A police spokesperson told the media that they had "never experienced a murder case being politically exploited in such a way".[2] Bachmann deleted the post but the police subsequently launched an investigation against Bachmann and others for slander, false accusation and incitement.[47][48][49] The boy who had been deliberately and falsely doxed by Bachmann deleted his Facebook account but months after the incident his personal information including his full name and photograph were still online.[50]
Even after the murderer's identity had been revealed the far-right wouldn't accept that the murder was committed by a German. Keira's gravestone was vandalised with graffiti describing her killer as "Russian".[2]
References
edit- ^ Adler, Marcel (13 March 2018). "Keira G. (14): Ihr Mörder ging auf dieselbe Schule!". Berliner Woche (in German). Berlin, Germany. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Adeane, Ant (7 March 2019). "How the far right hijacked a teenager's murder". BBC News. London, U.K. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- ^ a b c "Mordfall Keira G. in Lichtenberg: Die Fakten zum Drama von Alt-Hohenschönhausen". Berliner Zeitung (in German). Berlin, Germany. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Nibbrig, Hans H. (13 March 2018). "Nach Tod von Keira: Eine Schule steht unter Schock". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). Berlin, Germany. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Kopietz, Andreas (8 March 2018). "Keira G. (14) aus Lichtenberg Erstochen im Kinderzimmer". Berliner Kurier (in German). Berlin, Germany. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d Hasselmann, Jörn; Keilani, Fatina; Pohlers, Angie (12 March 2018). "Berlin-Hohenschönhausen: Haftbefehl wegen Totschlags im Fall Keira G. erlassen". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Berlin, Germany. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- ^ Schütz, Jutta (5 April 2018). "Keira G. erstochen: Edgar H. hatte Tat schon länger geplant". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). Berlin, Germany. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ "Germany migrant jailed for life for murdering Freiburg student". BBC News. London, U.K. 22 March 2018. Archived from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- ^ Miner, Louise (21 March 2018). "Life sentence for student murder in Germany". Euronews. Lyon, France. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ "Germany: Migrant jailed for murdering ex-girlfriend, 15". BBC News. London, U.K. 3 September 2018. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- ^ Mounk, Yascha (21 January 2019). "How a Teen's Death Has Become a Political Weapon". The New Yorker. New York, U.S.A. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Eisenhardt, Uta (22 November 2018). "Getötete Keira in Berlin: Reine Mordlust". Der Spiegel (in German). Hamburg, Germany. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ Dinger, Alexander; Nibbrig, Hans H. (9 March 2018). "14-Jährige erstochen - Polizei ermittelt im nahen Umfeld". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). Berlin, Germany. Archived from the original on 8 March 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- ^ a b c Bischoff, Katrin (15 December 2018). "Sie schwärmte für ihn, er tötete sie - aus "purer Mordlust"". Berliner Zeitung (in German). Berlin, Germany. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Kopietz, Andreas; Richard, Eric; Schmalz, Alexander (15 April 2018). "Keira G. (14) aus Lichtenberg: Erstochen im Kinderzimmer". Berliner Kurier (in German). Berlin, Germany. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ Lier, A.; Bergmann, J.; Wittge, M.; Wagner, O.; Seifert, F. (8 March 2018). "Der Mörder stach 20 Mal auf Keira (14) ein". Bild (in German). Berlin, Germany. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d Debionne, Philippe; Richard, Eric (11 March 2018). "Alt-Hohenschönhausen Freunde und Bekannte trauern um Keira G." Berliner Zeitung (in German). Berlin, Germany. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- ^ a b Kopietz, Andreas (7 April 2022). "Wie die Mutter eines ermordeten Mädchens weitermacht". Berliner Zeitung (in German). Berlin, Germany. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ Nibbrig, Hans H. (11 March 2018). "15 Jahre alter Schüler gesteht Mord an Keira G." Berliner Morgenpost (in German). Berlin, Germany. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Bischoff, Katrin (15 October 2019). "BGH bestätigt Mordurteil gegen Mitschüler". Berliner Zeitung (in German). Berlin, Germany. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "Mitschüler schuldig: Neun Jahre Haft für den Mörder der 14-jährigen Keira". Die Welt (in German). Berlin, Germany. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 22 November 2018. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ Adler, Marcel (24 September 2018). "Keira G. wäre heute 15 Jahre alt geworden". Berliner Woche (in German). Berlin, Germany. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Mielke, Michael (22 November 2018). "Keiras Mutter: "Das Urteil ist keine Genugtuung"". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). Berlin, Germany. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Getötete Keira (14): Urteil gegen 15-Jährigen erwartet". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). Berlin, Germany. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 22 November 2018. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ Gehrke, Kerstin (22 November 2018). "Mordfall Keira: Neun Jahre Haft für Mitschüler". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Berlin, Germany. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ "Mord an Keira G. aus Alt-Hohenschönhausen: Neun Jahre Haft für den Mörder der 14-Jährigen". Berliner Zeitung (in German). Berlin, Germany. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 22 November 2018. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ a b ""Aus reiner Mordlust": Neun Jahre Haft für 15-Jährigen". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). Berlin, Germany. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 22 November 2018. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ "Bundesgerichtshof bestätigt Verurteilung im Berliner "Joker"-Mordfall" (in German). Karlsruhe, Germany: Federal Court of Justice. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ "Requête no 25914/21: E.H. contre l'Allemagne" (in French). Strasbourg, France: European Court of Human Rights. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ "Rechtsprechung: LG Berlin, 22.11.2018 - 513 KLs 19/18". dejure.org (in German). Mannheim, Germany. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Mord an 14-jähriger Keira: Jetzt steht die Freundin des Killers vor Gericht". Berliner Kurier (in German). Berlin, Germany. 13 April 2021. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Mordfall Keira: Bekannte des Täters wegen Beihilfe angeklagt". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Berlin, Germany. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ "Mord an Keira G.: 16-Jährige wegen Beihilfe zum Totschlag angeklagt". Berliner Zeitung (in German). Berlin, Germany. 18 February 2020. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Mordfall Keira G. aus Berlin: Täter will vor den Europäischen Gerichtshof ziehen". RTL (in German). Cologne, Germany. 7 May 2021. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ "Mord an Keira – Wollte Mitschülerin (17) dem Täter bewusst ein Alibi verschaffen?". B.Z. (in German). Berlin, Germany. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d Darmstadt, Alina; Prinz, Mick; Saal, Oliver (27 December 2018). "The Murder of Keira: Misinformation and Hate Speech as Far-Right Online Strategies". In Fielitz, Maik; Thurston, Nick (eds.). Post-Digital Cultures of the Far Right: Online Actions and Offline Consequences in Europe and the US. Verlag. p. 158. ISBN 978-3-8394-4670-6. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Wüstenberg, Daniel (12 March 2018). "Wie der Tod einer 14-Jährigen - mal wieder - für rechte Hetze missbraucht wird". Stern (in German). Hamburg, Germany. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b Stollowsky, Christoph (13 March 2018). "Mordfall Keira in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen: Polizei ermittelt gegen Lutz Bachmann". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Berlin, Germany. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d Darmstadt, Alina; Prinz, Mick; Saal, Oliver (27 December 2018). "The Murder of Keira: Misinformation and Hate Speech as Far-Right Online Strategies". In Fielitz, Maik; Thurston, Nick (eds.). Post-Digital Cultures of the Far Right: Online Actions and Offline Consequences in Europe and the US. Verlag. p. 159. ISBN 978-3-8394-4670-6. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "Fake News im Fall Keira - Polizei ermittelt gegen Bachmann". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). Berlin, Germany. 13 March 2018. Archived from the original on 4 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ Deimer, David (9 March 2018). "Berlin: 14-jährige Keira mit 20 Messerstichen abgeschlachtet!" (in German). PI News. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ a b Darmstadt, Alina; Prinz, Mick; Saal, Oliver (27 December 2018). "The Murder of Keira: Misinformation and Hate Speech as Far-Right Online Strategies". In Fielitz, Maik; Thurston, Nick (eds.). Post-Digital Cultures of the Far Right: Online Actions and Offline Consequences in Europe and the US. Verlag. p. 160. ISBN 978-3-8394-4670-6. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ Gunnar Lindemann [@AfDLindemann] (11 March 2018). "Warum werfen keine weiteren Details bekannt gegeben? Z.b. die Täterherkunft? Soll hier wieder etwas schön geredet werden?" [Why are no further details being disclosed? For example, the perpetrators' origins? Are they trying to sugarcoat things again?] (Tweet) (in German). Berlin, Germany. Retrieved 24 July 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Darmstadt, Alina; Prinz, Mick; Saal, Oliver (27 December 2018). "The Murder of Keira: Misinformation and Hate Speech as Far-Right Online Strategies". In Fielitz, Maik; Thurston, Nick (eds.). Post-Digital Cultures of the Far Right: Online Actions and Offline Consequences in Europe and the US. Verlag. p. 161. ISBN 978-3-8394-4670-6. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "Tweet zur Tötung von Keira: Ermittlungen gegen Lutz Bachmann". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Munich, Germany. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ Berlin Police [@polizeiberlin] (12 March 2018). "Derzeit kursieren im Internet viele Fakes, Gerüchte & Hetzbeiträge zum Tötungsdelikt an einer 14-Jährigen" [There are currently many fakes, rumours and hate messages circulating on the Internet about the murder of a 14-year-old girl.] (Tweet) (in German). Berlin, Germany. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Kruthaup, Kristin (16 March 2018). "Hetze und Fake News: Wie die Polizei in sozialen Medien gegen Hassbotschaften vorgeht". Stern (in German). Hamburg, Germany. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ "Polizei ermittelt gegen Lutz Bachmann wegen Volksverhetzung". Berliner Zeitung (in German). Berlin, Germany. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 15 April 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ Jordans, Frank (13 March 2018). "Berlin police accuse far right of trying to exploit killing". The Seattle Times. Seattle, U.S.A. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ Darmstadt, Alina; Prinz, Mick; Saal, Oliver (27 December 2018). "The Murder of Keira: Misinformation and Hate Speech as Far-Right Online Strategies". In Fielitz, Maik; Thurston, Nick (eds.). Post-Digital Cultures of the Far Right: Online Actions and Offline Consequences in Europe and the US. Verlag. p. 162. ISBN 978-3-8394-4670-6. Retrieved 25 July 2024.