Overview

• Germany’s Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has nullified the 2024 murder conviction of Sebastian T. in the Hanna W. case, citing procedural violations.
• The presiding judge in the original trial exchanged private emails with the prosecutor about evidence and legal conclusions without informing the defense.
• The defense discovered the emails weeks later, filed a recusal motion, and subsequently appealed the trial outcome to the BGH.
• The case has been returned to a different youth chamber of the Landgericht Traunstein for a full retrial; no date has been set for the new proceedings.
• The original conviction was based on circumstantial evidence, with the defense maintaining there was no proof of guilt and proposing alternative explanations for Hanna W.'s death.