![A woman named Beate Zschäpe was convicted of the murder of ten people. [Image via Nino Barbieri/Wikimedia Commons]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2018/7/12/660x290/b_502x220x82/a-woman-named-beate-zschape-was-convicted-of-the-murder-of-ten-people-nino-barbieri-wikimedia-commons_2053071.jpg "A woman named Beate Zschäpe was convicted of the murder of ten people. [Image via Nino Barbieri/Wikimedia Commons]")
After a five-year trial, a judge in Munich, Germany finally gave a life sentence verdict to the primary defendant, Beate Zschäepe, in a series of murders connected to a National Socialist Underground group. The Washington Post noted that "The group’s name, often shortened to NSU, alludes to Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party." Zschäepe was part of the group that, according to prosecutors, randomly chose people who they believed were immigrants and shot them in the head. These horrendous murders occurred between 2000 and 2007, according to the L.A. Times.
Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boehnhardt were her accomplices, but they shot themselves before being arrested.
Piling evidence and questions
According to CTV News, the three National Socialist Underground participants went into hiding in 1998 after agreeing to kill people of different ethnic backgrounds (mostly immigrants). The Guardian noted that some DVDs were made. These came to the attention of investigators and it was noted that the cartoon character "Pink Panther" had photo's interspersed in it, of the dead or dying people. But in another crime involving a robbery, they found the two members of the group named Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boehnhardt. During the followup to that, they shot and killed themselves.
According to the Washington Post, a lawmaker, Uli Grotsch part of the Social Democratic Party, "participated in a parliamentary investigation of the authorities’ handling of the case." Uli Grotsch stated that there are so many questions unanswered by the authorities involved. The victims' families want to know why their loved ones "had to die." Uli Grotsch suggested that they must have had supporters, saying, according to the WP, “We’re dealing with a well-organized neo-Nazi network that is still operating in secret and we can’t rule out that a series of murders like that of the NSU can happen again at any time.”
Beate was unemotional at her sentencing
Beate Zschaepe was charged for the murders of the 10 people killed by this hate group.
She was captured and arrested just after she set her apartment ablaze in 2011. According to CTV News, eight of the 10 people killed were Turks. L.A. Times added that one was a Greek and the 10th was a German policeman. Beate Zschaepe showed no emotion while her sentencing was being read, but she did state that she was sorry that she couldn't prevent the deaths of Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boehnhardt.
According to L.A. Times, a life sentence in Germany allows a prisoner to parole after 15 years of prison. Bavaria's law, which is in southern Germany, states that she may not be offered parole till after at least "22 years" in prison. There were others with her that were on trial with her as well. One of them was Andre Eminger, 37 years old, who ended up with a suspended sentence, which was applauded by sympathizers. The three other defendants were given a three to 10-year sentence in prison for their role in the deaths of the victims.
