Second student found dead in Trier within a week: police suspect homicide

Two violent deaths in one week

The University of Trier is grappling with two violent student deaths in the space of a few days. On Wednesday, July 15, a 22-year-old male student was stabbed at least twice in the upper body near the campus. On Sunday, July 19, a 29-year-old female student was found dead in her apartment on Nordallee. Police said her injuries indicate a homicide, and they are searching for witnesses who saw anything suspicious between Friday afternoon and Sunday noon.

The first attack: a random stabbing

The suspect in the first killing is a 22-year-old Afghan national who had lived in Trier for several years and resided near the crime scene. Police said he and the victim did not know each other and described the encounter as random. The suspect is now in a psychiatric facility. The attack prompted Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) to reaffirm his push for deportations of criminals to Afghanistan.

I still consider this an absolutely necessary measure and I will not let up in pushing forward these deportations to countries like Afghanistan.

Second death: body found in apartment

The 29-year-old was reported missing by her mother on Sunday and found dead by emergency services in her home. Police have not named any suspects or a motive. A spokesperson said the investigation is "very extensive" and asked anyone who saw suspicious activity near Nordallee between Friday afternoon and Sunday noon to come forward. The exact cause of death is still being determined. The Blick news outlet raised the question of a serial killer, but police have not mentioned any link between the two cases. The Afghan suspect in the first killing was already in a psychiatric facility at the time the woman was reported missing.

University and city in shock

The university issued a statement on its website saying it was filled with "deep sadness and great bewilderment." It added that "only a few days after the violent death of a student, this renewed event hits our university community with full force." A memorial service for the 29-year-old is planned for Thursday, July 23, at 12:00 in the chapel on Campus II. Condolence books will be available from Wednesday at the university and at the Bürgeramt Viehmarkt from 13:30. Last Thursday, around 1,000 people gathered at the university to mourn the 22-year-old victim. The mayor expressed condolences in a press release, saying two young students were "cruelly killed" and their families plunged into deep suffering.

Two young students who still had their lives ahead of them were cruelly killed, and their parents, friends and families were plunged into deepest suffering overnight.

Political fallout and investigation

Dobrindt's comments, made before journalists in Berlin, linked the first killing to his broader deportation policy. He said society has a right to have criminals removed from the country. Meanwhile, police continue to investigate the second death, with no indication yet of a connection to the first. The university has urged the community to stand together.