Werner Weinhold

Who is Werner Weinhold?

Werner Weinhold was a former NVA soldier who shot and killed two East German border guards on 19 December 1975 during a successful attempt to cross the Inner German border from the German Democratic Republic to the Federal Republic of Germany. The escape took place near the town of Hildburghausen, Thuringia.

Weinhold was tried in the West German courts and was at first acquitted. At a second trial in 1978 he received a sentence of five-and-a-half years for the killings, which was later reduced to three-and-a-half. The incident received much press coverage at the time in both German states.

In 2005 he was arrested by German police for attempted murder. On 8 January 2005 he allegedly shot and seriously injured a 43-year-old acquaintance. Later he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years for actual bodily harm.