Sebastian T. after release: Hope for justice in the Hanna case

Sebastian T. after release: Hope for justice in the Hanna case

The story of Sebastian T. and the murder of student Hanna Wörndl continues to be accompanied by questions and uncertainties in Aschau. On June 20, 2025, the 23-year-old was released from the Traunstein Correctional Facility after the Federal Court of Justice overturned his verdict. Sebastian is now free after a year in prison and hopes that things will change for the better. “I hope everything works out for both families,” he says as he enjoys time with his family and rediscovers freedom.
Sebastian was convicted of murder in 2024 because he was accused of killing Hanna in October 2022 after a party. The case will now be heard again in September 2025 because, according to the 1st Youth Chamber of the Traunstein Regional Court, the urgent suspicion can no longer be maintained. A decisive factor in this reassessment was a psychological report by the psychologist Max Steller.

A tricky case

Steller examined the testimony of witness Adrian M., who claimed in custody that Sebastian had confessed to him that he had murdered Hanna. According to the report, however, it was not possible to determine whether M. had actually heard the confession. It also emerged that he had a tendency to lie and a motive to make false statements. These findings have severely shaken confidence in M.'s credibility. Sebastian T.'s defense attorney, Yves Georg, emphasizes that the report confirms the unbelievability of M.'s statement.
On the night of October 3, 2022, there were several witnesses who saw Sebastian jogging in front of the “Eiskeller” club. To get to Hanna, Sebastian would have had to run an extra lap, which could not be proven. The court will now deal again with the assessment of the evidence, in which the first verdict was based heavily on M.'s statements. This case shows once again how complex the interaction between the psychology of testimony and the justice system is and how important the credibility of witnesses can be in a trial. According to gutachten-familiengericht.de, credibility involves an assessment of the person making the statement, while credibility itself focuses on the content of the statement.

Life after prison

After his release, Sebastian T. took up a secluded life in Aschau, where Hanna's family also lives. He spends time with his loved ones, playing table tennis, exploring nature and enjoying the food that was out of reach in prison. “I miss the freedom and the little everyday things,” he says, looking back on the 945 nights he spent behind bars. This time was characterized by isolation for him, during which he celebrated his birthday three times and Christmas three times in prison.
The ongoing fear of the new trial and the uncertainty about the reactions of Hanna's family weigh on him. So far he has not had any encounters with them or with any of Hanna's friends who testified against him in the first trial. “I hope I can talk to them at some point and give them my point of view,” says Sebastian, expressing his wishes for the future.

The coming weeks promise an exciting but also nerve-wracking time for everyone involved. The resumption of the trial will be of great importance not only for Sebastian T., but also for Hanna's survivors, who are waiting for answers and justice.