Germany: Prosecutors seek life sentence for ex-SS man over WWII killings of Dutch civilians
By APTuesday, March 2, 2010
Prosecutors seek life in prison for ex-SS man
AACHEN, Germany — German prosecutors are seeking a life prison sentence for a former member of the Nazi SS who is being tried for killing three Dutch civilians during World War II.
The 88-year-old Heinrich Boere is charged with three counts of murder in the trial at the Aachen state court.
He has admitted killing the civilians in 1944 as a member of a Waffen SS hit squad but insisted he was following orders and feared being shot himself if he failed to do so.
Prosecutor Ulrich Maass called for the maximum sentence of life in prison in closing arguments Tuesday. The German news agency DAPD reported that he said Boere had been a convinced Nazi.
Closing arguments by the defense are expected on March 16 and a verdict on March 23.
