After the attack on a homeless man (38 of age) at the main railway station, the police are now investigating a treacherous murder: the Romanian man died in hospital, a Nigerian had apparently kicked him to death for no reason!
The unbelievable act of violence happened on the night of the 26th of July in Bochum. At 1.15 a.m., the young man (21) from Lünen (North Rhine-Westphalia) attacked Silvio M. – who was sleeping near the left-luggage office at the time.
The Romanian with no fixed abode didn’t stand a chance: the Nigerian repeatedly kicked and punched him, leaving him with life-threatening injuries. The suspected perpetrator was arrested shortly afterwards. The homicide detectives know exactly how the crime took place. “A surveillance camera filmed what happened,” says senior public prosecutor Andreas Bachmann. So far, it has to be assumed that the victim and perpetrator did not know each other. That is why the detectives are currently assuming that the murder was committed for “base motives” and that the murder criterion of malice aforethought has been met – the victim was asleep. Paramedics and an emergency doctor treated the homeless man at the scene and took him to hospital. But his injuries were too severe – Silvio M. died in hospital three days after the attack. His body was autopsied at the forensic centre on Monday. “The cause of death was determined to be the consequences of blunt force trauma”, said Bachmann.
Silvio M. had often slept at the railway station, having only returned from his home country a few weeks ago. The railway mission had sponsored his ticket to Romania – but he obviously preferred to live in Germany. A social worker: “It’s terrible what happened. We can’t believe it. Silvio didn’t harm anyone.”
The investigations by the public prosecutor’s office and the homicide squad have not yet been finalised, but a motive is unlikely to be found. The Nigerian has hardly attracted any attention so far; according to the BILD newspaper, he has no previous convictions for violent offences. He remains silent about the accusation that he killed a person for no reason. The chief public prosecutor assumes that the suspect may have a mental illness. This is now to be clarified with the help of experts.
Despite the video recording, the criminal investigation department is looking for witnesses to the crime. At the time of the crime, a group of travellers is said to have been in the vicinity – as were two women who disappeared in a taxi before the police arrived. They are asked to come forward by calling (0234) 9094441.
Bochum: Obdachloser grundlos totgetreten – Verdächtiger in U-Haft | Regional | BILD.de