13-Year Nazi Case Called Off
The longest Nazi prosecution in German legal history was adjourned Saturday because doctors said the defendant has grown too incompetent to continue the 13-year proceedings.
A circuit court here decided to dismiss the case against former SS squad leader Heinrich Niemyer, 70, on the advice of the doctors. Niemeyer was accused of shooting Jewish prisoners as the Nazis fled the Auschwitz death camp in 1945.
Niemyer was sentenced to six years in prison in 1979, but the German Supreme Court subsequently ordered a retrial because of a procedural error.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
