BERLIN – German prosecutors say they’ve opened their own investigation into the death of Diren Dede, the exchange student from Hamburg shot in Montana last month.
Carsten Rinio, spokesman for Hamburg prosecutors, said Wednesday that German law requires an investigation when a citizen is killed abroad.
Rinio’s office is currently preparing a formal request for assistance from U.S. investigators, asking for access to details of their investigation. It will have to be conveyed through the German Justice Ministry to the U.S. Department of Justice before eventually being passed to local authorities in Montana.
Markus Kaarma has pleaded not guilty to deliberately killing Dede after the teenager entered his garage.
The German investigation, opened May 5, raises the possibility that if Kaarma is acquitted in Montana, he could still face trial in Germany.