Trial Begins for Four Men Accused of Killing Teenager in Cologne

The defendants allegedly murdered a 15-year-old out of revenge for testifying against them in a drug case.

Emotions ran high in the courtroom as the victim's family reacted to the presence of the accused, leading to a temporary clearing of the courtroom.
The prosecution accuses the four men, aged 19 to 27, of kidnapping and murdering the teenager, motivated by unpaid debts and retribution for his court testimony.
The victim, who had reportedly owed €700 to the defendants, was found dead with multiple stab wounds in a secluded area of Cologne's Mülheim harbor.
Defense attorneys for the accused deny a collective murder plan, with some defendants admitting to involvement in destroying evidence but not the murder itself.
The trial is set to continue with 17 scheduled hearings, delving into the connections between the accused and the victim within the local drug trade.