An American woman is standing trial accused of fatally stabbing an Eritrean migrant after he allegedly groped her on an escalator.
German prosecutors allege the woman, 20, could have avoided killing the 64-year-old Alem Tekeste, after he allegedly grabbed her buttock as they came out of Kaiserslautern station, in south west Germany in June last year.
The woman, who was born in Germany but has US citizenship, faces up to ten years in prison if found guilty. The American told investigators that she only wanted to keep Mr Tekeste at a distance and acted in self defence.
Prosecutors allege the the man backed away from the knife, but was pursued. They say that when Mr Tekeste grabbed the 20-year-old’s knife-wielding arm, she freed herself and "stabbed once in the same motion," killing him “within seconds”.
Charges were brought for alleged bodily harm resulting in death. This means that prosecutors believe the woman intended to injure - but not kill.
Elon Musk had waded into the debate around the killing, asking on his X platform: “What is wrong with Germany?” in response to a tweet claiming the US citizen was “being held hostage for stabbing a migrant”.
A Kaiserslautern Regional Court statement ahead of the trial said: “The public prosecutor's office accuses the defendant of having stabbed a man as an adolescent in Kaiserslautern Central Station in June 2024, resulting in the man's death at the scene, something the defendant could have foreseen and avoided.
“The stabbing was preceded by an incident in which the victim allegedly grabbed the defendant's buttocks on an escalator.
“In its indictment, the public prosecutor's office does not believe this was a case of self-defense due to the timing of the incident, but also denies any intent to kill.”
They added: “The defendant turned herself in shortly after the crime. The court will have to clarify the exact sequence of events in a hearing of evidence.”
Under German law, the 20-year-old will appear in an “adolescent court” in Kaiserslautern this week and can remain unnamed as she was under 21 at the time of the killing.
The woman has told investigators that she didn't “intentionally aim” for his heart.
