An American woman accidentally stabbed an Eritrean man to death during a struggle after he touched her at a German train station, and now faces up to ten years in prison.
The woman, 20, was standing on an escalator at Kaiserslautern train station, in the southwestern state of Rhineland-Palatinate, when the 64-year-old man grabbed her behind on June 29.
An argument ensued before the woman pulled out a knife and stabbed the man.
The American, who lives in Kaiserslautern, told investigators she wanted to keep the man at a distance. When he finally backed away, the woman followed him.
The Eritrean man grabbed her arm holding the knife and, when the woman tried to free herself, stabbed him in the heart “during the same movement,” according to prosecutors. He died a few seconds later.
The woman has been charged with causing bodily harm resulting in death and could be sentenced to up to ten years in prison in a juvenile court.
He claimed he did not intentionally aim for the man’s heart and argued he acted in self-defense to keep him at a distance.
“The prosecution does not believe that the stabbing was justified by self-defense,” a prosecutor’s spokesperson told the German tabloid. image.
The woman, 20, was standing on an escalator at the Kaiserslautern train station (near the underpass shown above), in the southwestern state of Rhineland-Palatinate, when the 64-year-old man grabbed her by the back on June 29.
Prosecutors believe the woman did not intentionally stab the Eritrean man in his heart after viewing the CCTV footage, so they have not charged her with murder or manslaughter.
He allegedly wanted to hurt the man, but not kill him.
After the incident, a search began for the woman, who surrendered at a police station.
The American has since been released. The juvenile court must decide whether to accept the accusation against the woman.