BERLIN (AP) — An American man on Monday admitted to charges of murder and rape after he allegedly pushed two U.S. women down a ravine, fatally injuring one of them near Germany's Neuschwanstein castle last year. The 31-year-old defendant admitted to the charges during the start of his trial, the German news agency dpa reported. Murder charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison in Germany. When the elder woman tried to help her, a scuffle ensued and the suspect allegedly pushed her down a steep slope. Authorities say the women didn’t know the man before they met near Neuschwanstein.

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Persons: Philip Mueller, Prosecutors, didn’t Organizations: BERLIN, Prosecutors, Authorities Locations: Germany's, Germany, Neuschwanstein