Dresden, Germany - The judge in the Marwa el-Shirbini murder case said Wednesday that the motive of the convicted killer, Alex Wiens, was hatred of foreigners. A "hatred of foreigners ran right through the accused's stay in Germany," judge Birgit Wiegand said in sentencing remarks. Wiens was given the highest life sentence under German law.
Wiens had claimed that the murder, to which he admitted, was not a racist act. The 28-year old was born in Russia.
"He killed ... not out of fear but out of revenge. He consciously exploited her innocence and defencelessness," the judge said.
El-Shirbini was testifying against Wiens over his insult to her in a Dresden playground in 2008 when she was stabbed to death. He had called her an "Islamist" and a "slut".
The judge ruled out any diminished responsibility on Wiens' part because of previous psychological problems.
