Downriver man gets life in prison for rape, murder of woman, pushing another off cliff outside German castle

FOX 2 (WJBK) - A Downriver man has been sentenced to life in prison for his attacks on two US women outside a castle in Germany.

Troy Bohling from Lincoln Park admitted to murder and attempted murder and rape with fatal consequence charges when his trial started last month.

Prosecutors say the attack on two women took place in June, 2023 near Neuschwanstein castle, one of Germany's most famous tourist attractions.  

The judge determined that Bohling bears particularly severe guilt, meaning that he likely won’t be eligible for release after 15 years as is usually the case in Germany - and described the defendant as "incredibly callous" adding that "a release after 15 years would not be justifiable," according to the Associated Press.

The victims were 21-year-old Eva Liu, who died, and her friend Kelsey Chang, 22, who survived. Both were recent graduates of the University of Illinois. 

The brutal assaults took place on June 14 near the Marienbruecke, a bridge over a gorge that offers a view of the castle.

Prosecutors said the suspect met the two women by chance on a hiking path and lured them off the trail. They said he apparently first forced the younger woman to the ground and tried to undress her.

When the older woman tried to help her, a scuffle ensued and the suspect allegedly pushed her off the cliff. Despite falling about 50 meters (165 feet) and sustaining a head injury, bruises and grazes, she survived.

He then strangled the younger woman, Liu, until she was unconscious and raped her, before pushing her down the slope as well. She died later in a hospital.

The court found that the defendant wanted to keep video footage and a photo he had made of his actions — material that became important evidence to investigators — as a "trophy."

Police officers arrested him near the scene of the attack, where he told the authorities "That’s enough adventure today," in a report by The Daily Mail.

The victims were recovered from the ravine by a helicopter.

"He disposed of her like a bag of garbage," Judge Christoph Schwiebacher said as he announced the verdict on Monday, German news agency DPA reported.

--The Associated Press contributed to this report.