An American man has been arrested in connection with the death of one Asian American woman and the assault of a second Asian American woman in Germany.
According to ABC 7 Chicago, 21-year-old Eva Liu, a University of Illinois Urbana Champaign graduate, was on a trip with her college friend 22-year-old Kelsey Chang in Germany when attacked.
On June 14, the pair were hiking along a path near Neuschwanstein castle in the South of Germany when they met a 30-year-old American man. The man allegedly lured them onto a trail he said led to a viewpoint, FOX 32 Chicago reports.
“The younger of the two women was attacked by the suspect,” said police spokesman Holger Stabik, according to FOX 32 Chicago. “The older one tried to rush to her aid, was then choked by the suspect and subsequently pushed down a slope.”
After Chang was pushed down the slope, authorities allege the man attempted sexually assaulted Liu before pushing her down the same slope, ABC 7 Chicago reports.
The two young women were rescued by Füssen mountain rescue service workers According to FOX 32 Chicago, Chang was described as “responsive” at the scene. Liu, who sustained serious injuries, was airlifted to a nearby hospital and died overnight.
According to News Channel 20, the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign issued a statement confirming that the pair were recent graduates and offering support to their loved ones:
“I can confirm that Kelsey Chang was awarded a BS in Computer Engineering in May 2023, and Eva Y. Liu was awarded a BS in Computer Science in May 2023. Our University of Illinois family is mourning the senseless death of Ms. Liu and the attack on Ms. Chang. Both had just graduated in May and should have been able to celebrate such an important accomplishment without the fear of such a tragic outcome. Our thoughts are with Ms. Chang as she recovers and with both of their families as they grieve,” said Robin Kaler, Associate Chancellor at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.
A neighbor of Liu’s family told FOX 32 Chicago the incident left him stunned.
“It’s horrible. I have a daughter, I can’t imagine just getting out of school and starting to spread her wings and something like that happens. I’m sure the parents were very nervous to begin with and to have something like that, it’s terrible,” said Jeff Kraull.
The suspect is in police custody but no further details have been issued about him at this time.
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