A Michigan man was arrested in June of 2023 on suspicion of sexually assaulting and killing a Naperville woman hiking near Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. The woman and a friend were both pushed from a cliff into a steep ravine. Eva Liu, who died, and her friend, Kelsey Chang, had graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in May of 2023.
Associated Press
A Michigan man admitted to charges of murder and rape after he allegedly pushed two women down a ravine in Germany last summer, killing Eva Liu, 21, from Naperville, and injuring her friend.
The man made the admission at the start of his trial in Germany, German news agency dpa reported on Monday. Defendants in the German legal system do not formally enter pleas to charges.
The 31-year-old defendant is charged with murder, rape with fatal consequences, attempted murder and possession of child pornography. Murder charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison in Germany.
“The defendant has committed an unfathomable crime,” defense lawyer Philip Mueller said in a statement. The defendant, whose name hasn’t been released in line with German privacy rules, confirmed that his lawyer’s statement was correct but did not answer any questions.
Eva Liu was from Naperville and a recent graduate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She was visiting southern Germany with a friend in June 2023 when they encountered the defendant on a hike near Neuschwanstein Castle.
The man then lured the two women onto a trail to a viewpoint and at some point allegedly attacked Liu. When her friend tried to help, the man allegedly threw her off a cliff and she fell almost 165 feet. The friend suffered a head injury, bruises and grazes, but she survived.
Then the man allegedly strangled Liu until she was unconscious and raped her before pushing her down the slope. Both women were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals, where Liu later died.
Liu graduated last May and was about to start a career as a software engineer for Microsoft. Family and friends remembered her big heart and beautiful soul during a memorial service held for her last July in Naperville.
German authorities say the women didn’t know the man before they met near Neuschwanstein. The suspect was arrested shortly after the attack.
Prosecutors said they secured a laptop and cellphones from the suspect containing child sexual abuse material.
A verdict is expected to be announced in mid-March at the earliest.
Contributing: Kaitlin Washburn