2 convicted of murder for deadly drag race in Germany

Associated Press
Accused Hamdi H., no full name given in line with Germany's privacy laws, covers his face before his verdict in a court in Berlin, Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, before he was sentenced for a life-term sentence for murder after killing a pedestrian when taking part in an illegal car race in downtown Berlin. (Gregor Fischer/dpa via AP)

BERLIN (AP) — Two men have been convicted of murder for a midnight drag race along a chic Berlin boulevard that ended with the death of another motorist.

The Berlin State Court on Monday sentenced both Hamdi H., 28, and Marvin N., 25, to life in prison for the Feb. 1, 2016 crime.

The court said the two began a "spontaneous street race" after coincidentally coming alongside one another at a red light shortly after midnight on the capital's Kurfuerstendamm boulevard.

Hitting speeds of 170 km/h (106 mph) they blasted through multiple red lights until Hamid H. ran into a Jeep driven by a 69-year-old man who died at the scene. Marvin N. crashed into a concrete planter box, sending his car many meters (yards) into the air and injuring his passenger.