Trials
The trial, before five judges of Düsseldorf's Higher Regional Court, began in April 1994. Kohnen, Reher and Buchholz were charged as minors (limiting the maximal penalty to 10 years in prison), while Gartmann was charged as an adult. The prosecutors claimed hatred of foreigners as motive.
Gartmann had confessed to police and he later confessed again before a magistrate with his lawyer present. He also apologized to the victims. According to the confession, Gartmann, Kohnen and Buchholz had clashed with foreigners at a party that night, met up with Reher and then, while drunk, decided to "frighten" some Turks. Towards the end of the trial, Gartmann withdrew his confession, claiming that it had been issued under duress and that he had been threatened with having to share a cell with Turks. Interviewed in prison four months after the verdict, he explained that he had given a false confession because police had convinced him that that was the only way to avoid a sentence of life in prison.
Reher also confessed, but changed his story repeatedly, in the end claiming that he had acted alone. Kohnen and Buchholz denied any involvement.
No hard evidence was found linking the defendants to the crime, in part because the police had treated the crime scene in a sloppy manner. Witnesses could not clarify the events.
In October 1995, the four defendants were found guilty of murder, attempted murder and arson. The three defendants charged as minors received the maximal sentence of 10 years in prison and Gartmann was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The Federal Court of Justice of Germany confirmed the convictions on appeal in 1997.
The Turkish family sued for civil damages and won. They received about 270,000 DM and a monthly pension for one severely burned victim.
Read more about this topic: Solingen Arson Attack Of 1993
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