Photo: DPA

Police hunt killer after jogger stabbed to death in Berlin

Published: 22 Jun 09 11:21 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20090622-20107.html

Police on Monday were still feverishly hunting a blond teenager who stabbed a woman to death while she was jogging in the Spandau forest near Berlin over the weekend.

The 39-year-old woman, named only as Kirsten S., was running through the forest at around 8:50 am on Saturday when she was attacked by the young man who stabbed her five times before leaving her for dead.

She was still alive when a passer-by found her and she was able to describe her attacker before she passed out and died.

The man is said to be between 15 and 20, around 1.75 metres tall and slim with fairly short, dark blond hair. He was wearing a white top and long, white trousers, and was riding a bright red bicycle.

Thomas Scherhant, head of the murder task force in charge of the case said his detectives were still mystified by the case. “We are investigating in all directions,” he told the Berliner Morgenpost, adding that they were not ruling anything out at this point.

He also suggested that Kirsten S., who worked as a psychologist for cancer patients at Berlin’s Charité hospital, may have known her attacker.

“Perhaps she came across him without knowing it. A considerable amount of physical force is necessary to kill someone with a stab to the upper body. Someone stabbing five times is the sign of a great hatred.”

He suggested it was not the kind of killing where the victim was randomly chosen.

Detectives have sealed off a large part of the woodland to search it for evidence, and are appealing for locals to report any sightings of the suspect.

The Local (news@thelocal.de)

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Your comments about this article:

20:27 June 24, 2009 by DimanaD
poor woman, RIP... I hope they catch the bastard...Berlin is a very safe town indeed but I would never go in the woods on my own...
12:36 June 25, 2009 by dessa_dangerous
that's nuts... and just when I was speculating that Berlin does not see a lot of aggravated crime...

A "positive" side is that the police believe she may have known her attacker. No one so far wants to murder me, aside from TTers
21:52 June 25, 2009 by DimanaD
'between 15 and 20, he was wearing a white top and long, white trousers, and was riding a bright red bicycle'

he doesn't look like a typical killer, not with the red bicycle...

but again some people are unpredictable...

i hope he didn't have a crush on her or sth and that was some sort of revenge...sounds like the 'nice kid from the neighborhood thing' ...

but pity...
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