German court sentences Syrian to life for killing girlfriend

BERLIN – A court in southwestern German has sentenced a Syrian man to life in prison for killing a woman with a knife last year.

The Tuebingen regional court found the 22-year-old guilty Friday of slaying his 45-year-old girlfriend, a co-worker at a kebab restaurant in the nearby town of Reutlingen.

The court also found the man, who wasn’t identified because of Germany privacy rules, guilty of attempted murder and serious bodily harm for injuring two other people in the attack on July 24, 2016.

German news agency dpa reported that the defendant, who had come to Germany as an asylum-seeker, told the court he acted out of jealousy.

In their ruling the judges noted the particular seriousness of the crime, making it harder for the man to gain an early release.