Ulm, Germany - An accused youth admitted Wednesday to shooting dead four members of a fellow schoolboy's family, asserting to a court in Ulm, Germany that he had been the sole killer. He said he had been "requested" to open fire on them by his friend. The two, both now 19, are accused of jointly killing the schoolboy's father, mother and two older sisters in cold blood at their apartment in the small town of Eislingen on April 9.
The admission left many aspects of the crime still unexplained.
Prosecutors allege the son arranged the murder spree in the hope of inheriting family wealth. He has declined to testify.
Only a few members of the media are allowed to attend the trial before a young persons' court, and even they are being excluded from parts of the testimony. Both accused were still at secondary school.
Klaus Schulz, the lawyer for the youth who confessed, said his client had not explained any motive to the court. Schulz said his own interpretation was that his client seemed to follow the will of the family's son in all of his actions.
