Europe News
Key witness found hanged in German cell
Nov 17, 2011, 17:51 GMT
Wuppertal, Germany - A key witness at a murder trial has hanged himself in his jail cell as he was awaited in court to testify against an alleged criminal Italian family, German prosecutors said on Thursday.
An autopsy indicated Michael Petzold had hanged himself in prison in Wuppertal, they said. They did not give the day of the suicide.
He was serving a life term imposed in December for two murders in Germany. He had testified at his own trial that he was paid by a family of Italians in Germany to commit one of the murders.
Two of the family are currently on trial in the city of Hagen, accused of organizing the 2006 attack on a pizza-maker in Cologne.
Prosecutors allege the main defendant, a 44-year-old restaurateur based in Gevelsberg near Cologne, commissioned the killing to eliminate a business rival. The state had intended to summon Petzold as its principal witness in the case.
COMMENT
blog comments powered by DisqusLatest Headlines in Europe
- 1. Pope in Easter message calls for peace and religious tolerance
- 2. Magnificent Messi leads Barcelona to ninth straight win
- 3. Pope leads Easter vigil, calls for "true enlightenment"
- 4. Barcelona increase pressure on Real with romp in Zaragoza
- 5. Pope Benedict XVI leads Easter Vigil
Older Talkback
