81-year-old man confesses to murdering tourist Amy after 32 years

2026-08-18

An 81-year-old man has confessed to the murder of American tourist Amy Lopez nearly 32 years after her death. The confession came as his trial began at the Landgericht Koblenz (Koblenz Regional Court) on Tuesday.

Lopez was 24 when she visited Koblenz during a European trip on September 26, 1994. Prosecutors say she planned to visit the Festung Ehrenbreitstein (Ehrenbreitstein Fortress) and stay at a nearby youth hostel.

According to the prosecution, the suspect, who was 49 at the time, lured Lopez into the secluded General-von-Aster-Zimmer at the fortress under a pretext. He allegedly restrained and sexually assaulted her before fatally attacking her. Her body was discovered shortly afterward by children who were playing nearby.

The case remained unsolved for decades until investigators re-examined old DNA evidence using modern forensic techniques. Biological traces found on the victim were eventually linked to the now 81-year-old suspect. He had voluntarily provided a DNA sample before his arrest.

The suspect was arrested at a retirement home in the Koblenz area in February 2026 and has remained in custody since then. His lawyer said the man wanted to finally bring clarity to the case because the crime had weighed heavily on him for years.

At the start of the trial, defense lawyer Volker Klein said his client fully admitted to the crime. The defendant confirmed this when the presiding judge asked whether the admission was truthful.

A psychiatric expert told the court that the accused had previously described having rape fantasies at the time of the crime. The expert currently considers him to have been mentally competent and fully responsible for his actions when the murder occurred.

The confession brings a decades-old mystery closer to a conclusion, but the trial will now determine the man's criminal responsibility and the appropriate sentence for the killing that remained unsolved for almost 32 years.