Around two and a half years after the murder of the Kassel District President Walter Lübcke (CDU), the trial of the alleged seller of the later murder weapon begins on January 5th.

Elmar J. from the Höxter district has to answer for negligent homicide.

The indictment also accuses the man from East Westphalia of several violations of the weapons law.

He is said to have sold Lübcke's later murderer Stephan Ernst the murder weapon and ammunition in 2016.

According to the Paderborn Regional Court from the announcement of the date, the purchase price is said to have been 1,100 euros.

According to the indictment, buyers and sellers were not supposed to have had a gun license.

Elmar J. was also aware of this.

The district court has planned two further hearing dates until January 19.

Allegation of aid dropped

Elmar J. was initially investigated by the federal prosecutor's office for complicity in murder.

Then the allegation of aiding and abetting was dropped and the proceedings were handed over to Paderborn.

After the Federal Court of Justice surprisingly overturned his arrest warrant in January 2020, Elmar J. was released after more than half a year of pre-trial detention.

The judges had doubts whether in 2016 the man could really have foreseen what kind of deed Ernst would commit with the weapon more than two and a half years later.

Right-wing extremist Stephan Ernst was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court for the murder of Lübcke at the end of January 2021.

An appeal against the judgment is still pending.

Lübcke was killed on June 1, 2019 on the terrace of his house with a head shot from close range.

The act is considered the first right-wing extremist murder of a politician in the Federal Republic.

Lübcke had spoken out in favor of accepting refugees.