The regional court of the city of Essen, Germany, sentenced four teenagers to 8.5 and 10 years in prison for the murder of two Ukrainian basketball players Volodymyr Yermakov and Artem Kozachenko.
Points of attention
- Four teenagers aged 14 to 16 were sentenced for the murder of Ukrainian basketball players in Germany.
- The court did not find a xenophobic motive in the actions of the attackers, establishing that they acted consciously and without the need for murder.
- Two convicts received 10 years in prison, two more - 8.5 years, the lawyers plan to appeal the sentence.
- The murder occurred after an attack on Ukrainian basketball players in the evening, which led to the death of two young athletes.
What is known about the case
The court found that the four defendants, aged between 14 and 16 at the time of the trial, attacked the Ukrainians with knives and clubs, which led to their deaths.
Although the prosecutor's office previously assumed that the attack could be caused by the Ukrainian origin of the victims, the court did not see a xenophobic motive in the actions of the attackers.
The judgment stated that the accused acted "consciously" and believed that they "did not need a reason to kill".
Two teenagers were sentenced to 10 years in prison. Two more were sentenced to 8.5 years. During the court session, the defendants asked for forgiveness from the parents of the dead Ukrainians.
The verdicts have not yet entered into force, as the defendants' lawyers have announced their intention to file an appeal.
The murder of Volodymyr Yermakov and Artem Kozachenko
The attack happened in the evening of February 10. Two Ukrainian basketball players were on their way to Dusseldorf and accidentally met the four defendants on the bus.
According to the investigation, one of the attackers immediately stabbed both athletes after exiting Oberhausen's main train station.
17-year-old Volodymyr Ermakov died the same night in the hospital during emergency surgery. His teammate, 18-year-old Artem Kozachenko, died 10 days later as a result of septic multiorgan failure.
