BERLIN (AP) — German prosecutors have shelved their Nazi war crimes investigation of a retired Minnesota carpenter whom The Associated Press exposed as a former commander in an SS-led unit, saying Friday that the 96-year-old is not fit for trial.
Munich prosecutor Peter Preuss told the AP that Michael Karkoc’s attorney had refused to allow him to be examined by a medical expert from Germany, and that his office’s decision was based on “comprehensive medical documentation” from doctors at the geriatric hospital in the U.S. where he is being treated.
He said doctors there had provided prosecutors with a comprehensive assessment of Karkoc’s health over the past year, which was evaluated by a medical expert in Germany.