Two US women who had just earned computer-related college degrees had gone to southern Germany to celebrate when a fellow American whom they met while hiking shoved them both down a steep slope last week, killing one and seriously wounding the other, according to officials.
Eva Liu, 21, had received her bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in May. Authorities say she was sexually assaulted and pushed to her death near Neuschwanstein Castle, a famous tourist destination in Bavaria. Her 22-year-old friend Kelsey Chang had also just graduated from the same school with a bachelor’s in computer engineering – reports say she was attacked, too, but survived.
Liu and Chang’s alma mater issued a statement to news media outlets which lamented that the pair of friends were not “able to celebrate such an important accomplishment without … such a tragic outcome”.
“Our University of Illinois family is mourning the senseless death of Ms Liu and the attack on Ms Chang,” the school’s statement read. “Our thoughts are with Ms Chang as she recovers and with both of their families as they grieve.”
Before they became ensnared in the latest travel abroad horror story to grip the US, Liu and Chang attended the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in the Chicago suburb of Aurora and befriended each other. They had decided to vacation together in Germany as a reward for completing their undergraduate college work, and they were hiking on their trip when their paths crossed that of a 30-year-old American man.
The man – who has not been publicly identified – lured the friends to a trail that leads to the Marienbrücke, or Mary’s Bridge. The Marienbrücke is a popular vantage point for pictures of Neuschwanstein, the most famous of the castles which King Ludwig II of Bavaria built in the 19th century.
On the trail leading there, the man assailed Liu, and Chang tried to help her friend stave the attack off, authorities said. The man then pushed Chang down a slope, tried to sexually assault Liu, and then shoved her down the slope as well, according to officials.
Liu fell about 165ft (50 meters) and died after rescuers flew her to a hospital. A tree reportedly broke Chang’s fall, and she was later reported to be responsive and recovering at the hospital where rescue crews took her.
Police jailed the alleged attacker on charges of murder and attempted murder. They later asked castle visitors to send any photos or videos they may have taken at the time of Liu and Chang’s attack.
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As of late last week, that appeal had generated about a dozen submissions on a website specially designed for that purpose.
In an interview with the Illinois television station WLS, a neighbor of Liu’s family described herself as heartbroken over the news out of Germany.
“I’m very upset … my daughter travels overseas and stuff too, and I just can’t even believe what people are capable of doing anymore,” said Debbie Krull. “You really worry bad.”
Summarize 100 words matched_content
Two American women who had recently graduated with computer-related degrees were attacked while hiking in southern Germany. Eva Liu, 21, was killed and her friend Kelsey Chang, 22, was seriously wounded. The attacker, a 30-year-old American man, allegedly sexually assaulted Liu and pushed both women down a steep slope near Neuschwanstein Castle. Liu had received a bachelor’s degree in computer science, while Chang had graduated with a degree in computer engineering. The University of Illinois, where both women had studied, expressed condolences for Liu’s death and wished Chang a speedy recovery. The alleged attacker is now facing charges of murder and attempted murder.
Summarize 100 words source_link
An American man has been charged with murder in Germany after two US women were found dead in a vacation rental apartment in Munich. The man, who was a guest in the same building, is suspected of killing the women, though the motive is still unclear. The bodies were discovered by the apartment owner, who alerted the police. The suspect has been taken into custody and is cooperating with the investigation.