A 93-year-old pensioner was allegedly tortured and killed in his own home in Cologne by men German authorities had already had repeated chances to remove from the country.
Hans-Jürgen W. was found dead by his children in his bungalow in Cologne-Neubrück on May 3 after he failed to answer the door or pick up the phone. Inside the house, his family found the pensioner lying in his bedroom, bound and gagged, with injuries across his body. Focus Online reported that he had suffered bruising and wounds to his face, hands, head, back, shoulders, upper body, and neck.
His home had been ransacked, and his e-bike, phone, debit card, and wedding ring were missing.
Prosecutors believe the elderly man was deliberately targeted due to his vulnerability. Cologne Chief Public Prosecutor Ulrich Bremer told Bild that there was “strong suspicion” the three accused had committed murder and robbery resulting in death together. He said the case was based in particular on DNA traces and camera footage, adding that the evidence suggested the suspects had “apparently specifically targeted the 93-year-old’s residence” before acting “with great brutality against the senior citizen.”
According to Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, one of the main suspects is Nenad A., a 30-year-old Serbian national and rejected asylum seeker with no fixed address. He was reportedly already known across Germany for theft, fraud, forgery, and extortion, and had also committed offenses in Austria and Hungary.
He had been in prison in Mannheim until April 14. Before his release, German authorities issued a deportation order against him. Instead, according to the reports, he left voluntarily for Serbia on April 21, apparently to avoid formal deportation. He then returned to Germany illegally within days.
Nenad A. was arrested on May 11 by chance after police intercepted a stolen vehicle and found him to be the driver. Investigators had already linked him to the crime scene through DNA evidence, fingerprints, cigarette butts, and traces found on objects the killers are believed to have touched.
A second suspect was arrested at a refugee center in Köln-Mülheim. Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reported that he was also known to police for property and traffic offenses, yet his residence status had repeatedly been extended by the Cologne immigration office, most recently until December 2026. Focus Online described him as a Bosnian suspect whose criminal record was allegedly known to authorities while his status continued to be renewed.
The third suspect, Bajram K., 36, born in Macedonia, was arrested by Austrian police at Salzburg Central Station on May 19. He had a record for property, sexual, violent, and traffic offenses. He had reportedly been deported in 1993 and 2014, later returned, received temporary residence and tolerated status in Münster, was deported again, and then allegedly entered Germany illegally for a third time on April 29, 2024.
The investigation has also moved into Cologne’s criminal gang network, with local media reporting that evidence led police to a large criminal family living in municipal accommodation in the Kalk district. A search was carried out, and two women were temporarily detained, though they were later released after investigators did not find enough evidence to justify keeping them in custody.
