Metro Detroit Man Sentenced To Life For Raping, Killing Woman Near German Castle

KEMPTEN, GERMANY — A metro Detroit man was sentenced Monday in Germany to life in prison for raping and murdering a woman from the Chicago suburbs and trying to kill her friend near the country’s famous Neuschwanstein Castle, according to reports.

The 31-year-old Lincoln Park man — identified in reports as Troy Bohling — was arrested shortly after killing the woman, identified by the Chicago Sun-Times as Eva Liu, 21, of Naperville.

A judge in the southern community of Kempten sentenced the man to life and noted the killing was of “particular gravity,” Reuters reported, meaning the man will not get the automatic parole after 15 years for which he could otherwise qualify.

The man was charged with murder, rape with fatal consequences, attempted murder and possession of child pornography, and admitted to the killing in February, the Associated Press reported at the time.

Liu and her 22-year-old friend were hiking around 2 p.m. June 14, 2023, when they were lured off the trail by the man to the Marienbrücke vantage point, according to police. Both victims had recently graduated from the University of Illinois, the Sun-Times reported.

The man tried to sexually assault Liu by forcing her to the ground and undressing her, according to prosecutors.

When her friend attempted to stop the attack, he pushed her off a deep 165-foot slope, according to prosecutors, then strangled Liu until she was unconscious and raped her, before pushing her down the slope as well.

Liu was killed in the attack, while her friend survived but suffered a head injury, bruises and grazes, according to prosecutors.