After 23 years in prison: Can a murderer simply go free again?
He killed a child - cold, planned, cruel. In 2003, Magnus Gäfgen was sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime and the court also found him to be "particularly guilty". But in Germany, life imprisonment does not automatically mean forever. And now the murderer of eleven-year-old Jakob von Metzler wants out of prison.
In the summer of 2024, Gäfgen submitted a new application for early release. And it was immediately clear that this case would make waves again. Because it touches on a fundamental question of criminal law - can a person change in such a way that they return to society despite having committed murder?
The answer from the Frankfurt public prosecutor's office is clear: no.
Psychologist remains silent, public prosecutor speaks plainly
A new expert opinion was obtained on behalf of the Kassel Regional Court - from renowned criminal psychologist Rudolf Egg. The expert is familiar with such cases. He does not say whether he considers Gäfgen to be at risk of reoffending. He remains silent. And that is his right - after all, this is an ongoing trial.
However, the public prosecutor's office in Frankfurt makes no secret of its assessment: the sentence should not be suspended on probation. Senior public prosecutor Dominik Mies confirmed to FOCUS online that they had clearly positioned themselves against a release - based on the expert opinion and the assessment of the prison.
The decision on Gäfgen's future is now up to the criminal execution chamber of the Kassel Regional Court.
Looking back: A murder that shook Germany
In 2002, the kidnapping and murder of Jakob von Metzler shocked the entire country. The perpetrator: a law student with good grades - but sinister intentions. Gäfgen had lured the child into his apartment, suffocated him and then blackmailed his parents for a million euro ransom - even though he knew that the boy had long been dead.
Only when he was threatened with pain during an interrogation did Gäfgen reveal the location of the body. Later, he even tried to take action against the police - for alleged human rights violations. A double slap in the face for the victim's family.
He wanted out once before in 2017. The court refused at the time. Reason: no genuine remorse, no sufficient reappraisal of the crime, still dangerous. Now, in 2025, the next attempt - but again no recommendation for release.
Remorse is not a free pass - this man does not belong on the street!
Gäfgen wants out. He wants freedom, a future, perhaps even oblivion. But no one is allowed to forget here. An eleven-year-old boy died because a grown man wanted power and money. This is not a youthful sin, not an impulse, not a slip of the tongue - this is a planned murder of a child.
We at RECHT 24/7 say: A human life weighs heavily. Especially that of a child. If the law recognizes the "particular gravity of guilt", then this must not simply disappear on paper after 20 years. Gäfgen has not yet proven that he has changed - on the contrary: he has used the public handling of his crime for years for legal dodges.
The penal system is not just about rehabilitation - it is also about protecting society. And as long as there are doubts, this protection must take priority. No expert opinion in the world can bring back a dead child. But it can prevent the offender from getting out too soon.
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