Slurry pit “cold case”: murder of Sabine Beck from Karlstadt

At the end of December 1993, the body of Sabine Beck, then 13 years old, was found in a manure pit in the Karlstadt area. Now a 47-year-old is on trial – is the “cold case” now close to being solved?

Update from 09.09.2024, 6.30 a.m.: Slurry pit cold case about to be resolved? Trial started

More than three decades after the tragic death of a girl in Franconia, the trial against a suspect begins on Monday (September 9, 2024) at 9 a.m. in the Würzburg Regional Court. The accused was 17 years old at the time of the crime and denies the allegations. According to the public prosecutor's office, he is accused of murdering 13-year-old Sabine Kurz before Christmas 1993 in Karlstadt (Main-Spessart district).

The charge is murder, other possible offenses such as manslaughter would already be time-barred. Nothing happened for years that autumn. In January 2021, investigators then made a surprise announcement: A man from the Main-Spessart district had been arrested on suspicion of murder after further searches. Among other things, detailed DNA analyses are said to have provided new clues. A few weeks after the arrest, however, the suspect was released again, but the investigation continued.

The police had been keeping the man under observation for some time. Nothing official has been released about the cause of death, only that massive violence was used. The young people disappeared on December 15, 1993, and two days later their bodies were found in a slurry pit on a farm in the Wiesenfeld district. The pit was covered with a concrete lid.

The trial is scheduled to last 36 days until the end of January next year. Since the accused was a minor at the time of the crime, the proceedings will take place behind closed doors – even though the German is now 47 years old.

Original report: Dead girl in the manure pit: Gruesome murder case from Franconia could still be solved

The slurry pit containing Sabine Back's body is sealed with a concrete lid, and the 13-year-old may never have been found: More than 30 years after the girl's violent death in Lower Franconia, the trial against a man who had previously been the focus of the investigation began next Monday (September 9, 2024) at the Würzburg Regional Court. The defendant is said to have killed the schoolgirl as a 17-year-old shortly before Christmas 1993 in Karlstadt (Main-Spessart district) – to satisfy his sexual urges.

The trial is scheduled to last 36 days until the end of January next year. Because the defendant was a juvenile at the time of the crime, the proceedings will take place behind closed doors – even though the man is now 47 years old. “He denies having started the crime,” says his defense attorney Hans-Jochen Schrepfer.

47-year-old charged under juvenile criminal law – maximum sentence of 10 years

In juvenile proceedings, the focus is on education. According to the district court, elements of guilt compensation can also be taken into account when punishing young people, particularly in the case of serious crimes. For young people, the maximum youth sentence for murder is ten years. However, preventive detention is possible under certain conditions.

Sabine was reported missing on a Wednesday, December 15, 1993. The police, fire department and technical relief organization then launched a major search operation. Two days later, she was discovered on a farm in the Wiesenfeld district, where she had often fed horses.

The girl's jacket and other clothing were lying in a pit – but not the 13-year-old. When the heavy concrete lid of a manure pit in a remote location was lifted, the investigators found the body. The police formed a special commission consisting of 30 officers, checked numerous traces and questioned several people.

Odyssey for the relatives

On December 21, 1993, a 15-year-old boy, who like Sabine comes from Wiesenfeld, was arrested on suspicion of murder. Two days later, however, the Würzburg district court lifted the arrest warrant due to a lack of evidence. In mid-February 1994, the youth was arrested again and later charged with manslaughter. The student denied the crime and was acquitted. Witness statements, among other things, exonerated him.

There was no movement in the case for years. However, murder does not expire – so the files on this case were not closed. In January 2021, investigators then made a surprise announcement: a man from the Main-Spessart district had been arrested after recent searches. Further detailed DNA analyses brought new clues. A few weeks later, however, the murder suspect was released again, but the investigation continued.

The police had already had their eye on the German man earlier. Nothing has been publicly disclosed about the cause of death so far – it was simply said that he had been subjected to massive violence.

The indictment dates back almost three years

In December 2021, the public prosecutor's office charged the man with murder. However, the Würzburg Regional Court did not allow the charges to be brought due to a lack of solid evidence. The court stated that, based on the results of the investigation, the defendant's involvement in the crime could be considered. Nevertheless, the evidence did not allow a reliable reconstruction of the course of events that could prove a murder charge. Charges for other offenses – such as manslaughter – were no longer possible due to the statute of limitations.

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