A state court in the German city of Ulm sentenced 19-year-old Andreas H. to life in prison Wednesday for the murder of his parents and two older sisters, which took place last year in the town of Eislingen, near Stuttgart.

The boy was found guilty of shooting his 22 and 24-year old sisters in the family home on the evening of April 9, 2009, with the aid of his school friend, Frederik B. After those first two murders, the accomplices allegedly met Andreas H.'s parents in a local pub, where they chatted with them before going back to the family home to lie in wait for the couple's return.

Although 20-year-old Frederik B. claimed to be the sole shooter, this admission did not influence the court's ruling. He received a youth sentence of ten years because of an expert's testimony that he suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, and because the court determined that Frederik B.'s main motivation was to assist his friend.

“This friendship was more precious to him than the lives of four people,” said presiding judge Gerd Gugenhan.

Andreas H., meanwhile, pleaded that he had been an outcast within his family, but the court ruled that his primary motivation was greed. A key piece of evidence was the boy's to-do list, which suggested he intended to become the sole inheritor of his family's wealth.

Because of the particularly cold-blooded nature of the crime, the court ruled out the option of parole after 15 years in Andreas H.'s case.

Gugenhan also recommended both boys should undergo therapy. “You have both incurred great guilt. You can and must work on remedying your personal defects,” he told them.

Andreas H.'s lawyer said his client plans to appeal the decision.

dl/dpa/apn

Editor: Susan Houlton