Bohling faces life in German prison
Accused of tossing woman off cliff to her death
A Lincoln Park man who was set to stand trial in the rape and murder of an American tourist in Germany last summer has admitted to the charges, according to a report from Fox News and German news outlets.
Troy Bohling, 31, was facing charges for the alleged rape of tourist Eva Liu, 21, from Illinois.
She allegedly was sexually assaulted and then thrown off a cliff near the historic Neuschwanstein castle, also known as the Cinderella castle in Bavaria.
Her travel companion, Kelsey Chang, then 22, is also from Illinois.
She was thrown off the cliff as well, but she hit a tree that stopped her fall, which likely saved her life.
German police reported Chang was pushed after she intervened in the attack.
According to the Fox report, Bohling said he photographed and filmed various key parts of his crimes.
Bohling is facing up to life in prison for murder, rape (with fatal consequences), attempted murder and possession of child pornography, which was found on his cellphone.
Defendants in the legal system in Germany do not enter pleas to charges.
Bohling met the two women as they were hiking and trying to get a closer look at the infamous castle. He allegedly convinced them he knew where they could get the best view of the castle and led them off their path to a secluded area where the alleged attack occurred.
According to German police, the incident occurred at about 2:40 p.m. on June 14, 2023 at a viewpoint near the Marienbrucke, a bridge over a gorge close to the castle that offers a famous view.
After the alleged attack, Bohling left the immediate area, but was located and arrested after a large police response. He was led out of the wooded area in handcuffs.
Both women were recent graduates of the University of Illinois.
The News-Herald Newspapers tracked down Bohling’s girlfriend at the time, Chanidtha Khumpuok, who lives in Thailand.
They spoke daily, but their talks came to an abrupt end on the day of the alleged assaults.
Khumpuok said at the time that she was shocked to learn the man she knew online was accused of such crimes.
It was less than an hour before that Bohling sent her several selfies in an online chat — photos resembling the very area where he was arrested, wearing the same clothing he had on when police took him into custody.
During their many chats, Khumpuok, who is Asian, said Bohling told her Asian women were his “type.” Both of the women he’s accused of assaulting are Asian.
Bohling’s Lincoln Park house, which he shared with his brother, quickly became a target of media attention from across the country. A couple of neighbors were willing to talk about Bohling, while others criticized the flow of media presence.
One resident felt compassion for Bohling’s relatives who came under fire on social media. She said an out-of-state reporter camped on her porch for hours waiting for someone to come out of Bohling’s house.
“You really think you know somebody, but you never really do because this is a shocker,” the neighbor said.
Another resident, fed up with the media, said had “no comment” and kicked a reporter off of her property.