German Man Given Life Sentence For Killing Cashier Over Covid Mask Rule (See More Here)

A court in western Germany’s Rhineland-Palatinate state has sentenced a 50-year-old man to life imprisonment for killing a gas station worker after being told to wear a mask while buying beer.

The accused, who has been identified as Mario N., surrendered last year after police launched a large-scale manhunt in Idar-Oberstein town, where strong anti-mask and anti-vaccine movement was taking place against the government's COVID-19 restrictions.

According to authorities, the perpetrator confessed to shooting 20-year-old student worker Alex W. out of anger” when he was not allowed to purchase beer.

Afterwards, the accused stormed out and returned to the gas station an hour later, but this time wearing a mask.

Soon, an argument broke out between the two men, following which Mario N. pulled a concealed revolver out of his pocket and shot the worker before fleeing the scene.

During the trial, prosecutor Nicole Frohn said that Mario N. had felt increasingly angry and saw the curb measures as an infringement on his rights, reports DW.

"Since he knew he couldn't reach the politicians responsible, he decided to kill him (Alex W.)," she said, according to AFP news agency.

On Tuesday, Mario N. was convicted of murder and unlawful possession of a firearm, and he was handed a life sentence.

Under German law, those convicted of life sentence can seek parole after 15 years. His defence team were trying to dilute his sentence from murder to manslaughter, but the court rejected their argument.