Parents of murdered au pair get compensation

The family of the murdered au pair hold up a picture of Lucie (picture from 2009) Keystone

The parents of a 16-year-old au pair who was murdered in canton Aargau eight years ago have received compensation from the canton in an out-of-court settlement. The authorities have admitted that they made mistakes.

It marks the end of a long legal battle by the parents of Lucie, who was murdered by a former convict who had been released on parole seven months before the crime.

The acknowledgement that errors were made will allow the relatives to move forward in the grieving process, the parents said in a statement on Friday. The canton had admitted organisational mistakes were made in its former handling of dangerous perpetrators, as well as faults made in applying the criminal code, they said.

The father told the Swiss news agency SDA that it was a partial indemnification which was more than a symbolic sum but which did not cover the family’s costs.

The canton has confirmed that the matter had been settled out of court, but gave no further information.

Lured

The 28-year-old killer lured Lucie to his flat by telling her he was looking for girls to model jewellery. He had previously tried to kill another young woman in 2003 and spent four years in a rehabilitation centre. He was jailed for Lucie’s murder in 2012.

After the au pair’s death, there was public outcry why a man who was known to be dangerous and under the influence of drugs and alcohol was free to commit such a crime.

Following the murder, canton Aargau authorities reorganised how sentences and measures are executed in the canton. Probationary services have been integrated into the purview of the cantonal authorities.