Murderer Convicted of Killing a Child Seeks Premature Freedom - Criminal seeking freedom who was convicted for murdering a child pleads for liberty
In 2002, the nation was shaken by the tragic kidnapping and murder of 11-year-old Jakob von Metzler, the son of a Frankfurt banker. The perpetrator, Magnus Gaefgen, was found guilty of the heinous crime by the Frankfurt Regional Court in 2003 and was sentenced to life imprisonment with particular gravity of guilt.
Gaefgen, who is currently not receiving any "prison-opening" measures such as leave, recently filed a petition for early release. The Frankfurt Public Prosecutor's Office has a psychological report and a statement from the Kassel Prison at its disposal, and they have applied for the sentence not to be suspended on probation based on the report and the statement.
The Regional Court of Kassel is yet to make a decision on the petition. A hearing date has been planned for August/September 2025. It is important to note that the convicted person must be heard before a decision on the application is made.
The kidnapping and murder of Jakob von Metzler caused nationwide outrage in Germany. The police traced the kidnapper through the ransom transaction, and Jakob's body was found at a lake in eastern Hesse. The perpetrator and the victim were acquainted.
Gaefgen was sentenced to life imprisonment with particular gravity of guilt in 2003. In 2019, the Regional Court of Kassel rejected an early release for Gaefgen and set a minimum term of imprisonment of 23 years, which ends in September 2025. Early release after 15 years was practically ruled out for Gaefgen.
The decision for the early release petition of Magnus Gäfgen is currently pending with the Regional Court of Kassel. There is no specific date yet announced for when the court will decide.
[1] [Dominik Mies, spokesman for the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor's Office, reported that the inmate filed the application for early release in 2024.] [2] [The Regional Court of Kassel is yet to make a decision on the petition.]
- The decision regarding Magnus Gaefgen's application for early release, which was filed in 2024, is currently under consideration by the Regional Court of Kassel, following his conviction for the kidnapping and murder of 11-year-old Jakob von Metzler in 2002.
- The ongoing politics surrounding Gaefgen's petition for early release in the midst of widespread general-news coverage and crime-and-justice debates, illustrates the complex employment policy challenges faced by the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor's Office and the court system in Germany.
