The German Essen Regional Court sentenced four teenagers who were found guilty of murdering Ukrainian basketball players Volodymyr Yermakov and Artem Kozachenko to prison. Two — for 10 years, two more — for eight and a half.
This is reported by BR24 and WDR.
Previously, the prosecutorʼs office assumed that the Ukrainian athletes could be killed precisely because of their origin and nationality, but the court noted that the German teenagers did not have a xenophobic motive for the murder. They "donʼt need a reason to kill someone," the court said.
The court ruled that four teenagers attacked two Ukrainians with knives and clubs. At that time, the defendant was between 14 and 16 years old. Two of them are citizens of Germany, and two of them are citizens of Syria.
The sentences have not yet entered into force. The lawyers of the parties involved in the case will appeal against them.
The defendants asked for forgiveness from the parents of the murdered Ukrainian basketball players Volodymyr Yermakov and Artem Kozachenko. But the parents of one of the Ukrainians said that they would never get over their sonʼs death and even a sentence would not help.
All those accused in the attack had previously been caught by the law enforcement officers.
In particular, 15-year-old German-Turkish schoolboy Mert V. involved in ten robberies, two thefts, two drug-related crimes, and one case of sexual harassment. At the same time, he was sentenced only once — to punishment in the form of 100 hours of correctional labor and several weeks of detention.
Another person involved in the case, a 14-year-old Syrian, is charged with 13 robberies, two thefts, three cases of sexual harassment and resistance to law enforcement officers. Another Syrian man was charged with nine robberies and two assaults.
The last suspect, a 15-year-old German of Greek origin, Ilias G., was charged with four robberies and two cases of grievous bodily harm.
What preceded
On the evening of February 10 this year, teenagers attacked two Ukrainian basketball players, Volodymyr Yermakov and Artem Kozachenko, with knives on the streets of the German city of Oberhausen.
17-year-old Yermakov died almost immediately from his injuries, and Kozachenko was taken to the hospital in serious condition. Some time later, it was reported that Artem was on the mend, but this information turned out to be premature. Kozachenko died in intensive care on February 20.
First, the German police detained a 15-year-old German-Turkish schoolboy suspected of attacking Ukrainians. He is already known to law enforcement officers because of several attacks and robberies. On February 16, three more teenagers suspected of murdering Ukrainians were detained: a 14-year-old German of Greek origin from the city of Herne, as well as a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old Syrian, both from Gelsenkirchen.
The trial in this case began in August.
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