Trial Begins for 1999 Murder of Würzburg Gastwirt

Father and son stand accused of killing a restaurant owner in a decades-old case tied to an unpaid loan.

Two men, a 67-year-old father and his 49-year-old son, are on trial in Würzburg for the 1999 murder of a Turkish restaurant owner.
Prosecutors allege the father ordered the son to kill the victim to intimidate a debtor who failed to repay a significant loan.
The victim, who acted as a guarantor for the loan, was shot multiple times in his restaurant; the weapon has never been recovered.
The defense argues there is no direct evidence linking the accused to the crime, and key witnesses from the time are deceased.
The case, reopened in 2024 based on new leads, hinges on whether the court finds sufficient evidence to convict after 26 years.