Suspect in Lisa killing previously investigated for child abuse material

A 13-year-old schoolgirl named Lisa from Berlin-Marzahn was killed in a violent crime, and her body was found in an uninhabited house in Bad Freienwalde, Brandenburg. The cause of her death remains unclear following an autopsy, and further investigations have been ordered.

The suspected perpetrator, a 22-year-old German national, was found on Sunday noon with a life-threatening gunshot wound in the same house where police discovered the girl's body. He had not previously known the victim, according to the Berlin public prosecutor's office.

“On these there are said to be more than 900 incriminating files that he is said to have obtained in the year 2023.”

The suspect is currently receiving intensive medical treatment, according to a statement from the prosecutor's office on Monday. Investigators have searched his apartment in Marzahn-Hellersdorf and secured potential evidence.

Berlin prosecutors had been investigating the man since January 2025 for the acquisition and possession of child pornographic material. The case involved evaluations of payments to a darknet platform.

In March 2025, during an international action week against child pornography, his living quarters were searched and data carriers were seized. These allegedly contained more than 900 incriminating files that he is said to have obtained in 2023.

In April of this year, the Berlin justice authority took over an investigation from the Passau public prosecutor's office. A large number of suspected child pornographic contents were also discovered on a mobile phone belonging to the suspect, who had been staying in Bavaria at the time. The suspect has no previous criminal record.

Lisa's death made nationwide headlines and triggered widespread sympathy.