German authorities have successfully managed to extradite a 70-year-old British man who has been charged with the murder of a retiree in Munich nearly 45 years ago. The man was arrested in his homeland in late March and extradited to Germany in early April and is currently in custody in the city of Munich.
The victim, who was 69 years old at the time, was last seen on December 30, 1978, in the company of a younger man. His body was found in his bathtub on January 2, 1979, after he failed to respond to calls from his relatives. An autopsy revealed that he had died from at least 10 blows to the head with a bronze pestle. Cash, keys, and a ring were stolen from the victim’s home, and the fingerprints found at the scene were unattributed at the time.
Despite offering a reward and issuing an identikit picture, investigators were unable to find a suspect at the time. However, in 2005, evidence found at the scene was examined for DNA, and in 2018, officials revisited their files and sought a match with the fingerprints. In November 2021, they were informed of a match with a person living in England. German prosecutors then sought an arrest warrant in January.
The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, has not commented on the case against him but did tell officers when being transferred to Germany that he had been in Munich in 1978. He has no previous police record in Germany. The British man is now facing charges of murder at the state court in Munich.
German authorities have not disclosed the identities of either the victim or the suspect, in accordance with local privacy rules. Stephan Beer, the police investigator on the case, stated that the investigation was never closed, and the arrest of the British man demonstrates their commitment to pursuing promising leads.
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