Simone Strobel's death threatened to become a cold case, a case in which the perpetrator or perpetrators will never be found. The educator was killed in Australia 17 years ago. But now the authorities are reporting success.
17 years ago, the German backpacker Simone Strobel from Lower Franconia was killed in Australia. Now a suspect has been arrested and charged with murder in Sydney. The 42-year-old ex-boyfriend of the teacher must remain in custody until at least August 3, reports the Australian news agency AAP. Then he will apply for release on bail, it said, citing his lawyer.
The Australian investigators are also in contact with the German authorities about the possible issuance of two more arrest warrants in Germany, the 9News station quoted police chief Scott Tanner as saying. The two people would be accused of aiding and abetting murder and obstruction of justice. The 42-year-old suspect was arrested Tuesday at his home in Perth, Western Australia, and transferred to Sydney on the east coast on Wednesday. Defense attorneys said she was in the process of negotiating bail terms with prosecutors. The trial will then be moved to Lismore, north of Sydney, where Strobel died violently in 2005. In addition to murder, the suspect is also accused of obstruction of justice.
Strobel's ex-boyfriend is now married in Australia and has taken his wife's name. According to Australian media reports, she is said to be pregnant with their third child. In 2005, Simone Strobel was traveling in Australia with her boyfriend on a working holiday visa. When two friends from Germany came over for a few weeks, the four of them spent time at a campsite in Lismore. The 25-year-old suddenly disappeared there. A few days later, her body was found nearby, covered under palm fronds. Investigations revealed that the woman had been the victim of a crime.
