A U.S. man has been hit with murder, rape and other charges in Germany in connection with the killing of another American tourist near a local castle in June.
Background: Eva Liu, 21, and Kelsey Chang, 22, were hiking near the historic Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria on June 14 when they came across the suspect, who offered to lead them to a viewpoint. On their way, the suspect began to attack Liu.
Chang tried to intervene but she was choked and thrown 164 feet down a slope. The suspect then proceeded to sexually assault Liu before shoving her next down the slope.
The aftermath: The victims, both recent graduates from the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign, were airlifted from the scene. Chang, who managed to cling to a fallen tree, survived the attack, while Liu succumbed to her injuries at a hospital the next day.
Charges: The suspect, identified by sources as 31-year-old Troy Bohling, was arrested shortly after the incident. This week, he was charged with murder, attempted murder, rape and possession of child pornography at the German state court in Kempten, according to the New York Post.
Bohling has not been officially identified by police in accordance with German laws. He remains in custody and faces life imprisonment if convicted of the top charge.
About the suspect: Chanidtha Khumpuok, who lives in Thailand, previously shared with The News-Herald messages she allegedly had received from Bohling before he committed his alleged crimes, including photos from his own hike. She said Bohling had told her that he liked Asian women.
Meanwhile, those who knew Bohling described him as quiet guy. “He kept to himself,” Shelby Prater, a classmate in middle school and high school, told The News-Herald.
