Convicted murderer Söring returns to Germany
December 17, 2019
Convicted German murderer Jens Söring arrived in Frankfurt on Tuesday after being deported by US authorities.
"This is the most beautiful day of my life," he said after landing. "I am so happy and grateful."
Söring, the son of a former German diplomat, served more than three decades in a US prison for the murder of his then-girlfriend's parents in 1985.
US authorities granted Söring and his former girlfriend Elizabeth Haysom parole, citing "their youth at the time of the offenses, their institutional adjustment and the length of their incarceration."
Gruesome murder
Söring and Canadian national Haysom were found guilty of brutally murdering her parents in 1985.
The bodies of Nancy and Derek Haysom were discovered days after the murder, nearly decapitated and exhibiting multiple stab wounds.
Although the two weren't initially suspected of the crime, they fled the country six months after and were arrested in London for using fake documents and lying to police.
Read more: Germany's top court upholds murderer's right to be forgotten
Questionable conviction
Both eventually pleaded guilty to the murders, although Söring later withdrew his plea, saying he was manipulated into protecting Haysom since he believed his father's diplomatic immunity extended to him.
In 2017, a Sheriff who investigated his case eventually concluded that Söring was not responsible for the murders and was not present when they occurred.
Söring, now 53 years old, received two lifelong sentences for the murders, while Haysom was handed two consecutive 45-year sentences for accessory to murder.
They were released on parole following several failed requests. Virginia Governor Ralph Norman eventually agreed to their release but noted that they would not be pardoned. They are both banned from re-entering the US.
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ls/ng (dpa, epd)