For more than 33 years, German Jens Söring was imprisoned in the USA - convicted of murdering the parents of his lover, Elizabeth Haysom. In December 2019, he was transferred to Germany under the condition that he never return to the US. The four-part ZDFinfo series "Killing For Love - The Jens Söring Case" describes how this sensational case unfolded from murder to verdict and beyond.
This episode reconstructs the night of March 30, 1985, when Derek and Nancy Haysom were murdered in their home in Lynchburg, Virginia. When the police investigation narrowed in on Elizabeth Haysom and Jens Söring in the fall of 1985, the couple fled the country. In 1986, they were arrested in London.
The episode "The Betrayal" describes how Söring confessed to the murder in custody in order to save his girlfriend from the electric chair. But Haysom claimed to have been merely an "accomplice" and portrayed Söring as a "German bastard." He now faced the death penalty himself. In court, he fought for his life.
"The Alibis" focuses on the trial, which was one of the first to be broadcast live on U.S. television. There, Söring claims to have provided an alibi at Haysom's request while she killed her parents.
The episode "The Verdict" concludes the series. It reviews how Söring has fared since he was sentenced to two life sentences for double murder in 1990.
