The Stuttgart Regional Court sentenced a 51-year-old man to 12 years in prison for manslaughter on Wednesday, concluding a trial that drew wide attention across southwestern Germany.
The defendant was accused of killing a 39-year-old female acquaintance from the Stuttgart drug scene and placing her remains in garbage bags inside a rolling suitcase, which he left in a dry creek bed under a bridge in Filderstadt. The victim had been reported missing on 21 July 2025; walkers discovered the suitcase roughly a month later, in August 2025.
Prosecutors had sought a 14-year sentence, while the defence argued for acquittal. The verdict is not yet final, leaving open the possibility of appeal.