Jens Söring

Jens Söring, usually rendered in English as Jens Soering, (born 1 August 1966, in Bangkok, Thailand) is a German convicted double murderer.

In 1990, he was convicted in Virginia, United States of America of murdering the parents of his then-girlfriend, Elizabeth Haysom. For her role in the deaths, Haysom was convicted of two counts of accessory before the fact to murder.

In prison, Soering claimed he was not guilty. After fourteen parole requests and numerous petitions for a gubernatorial pardon - all unsuccessful - he was released on probation and deported to Germany in 2019. Söring appears on talk shows, has an exclusive contract with Netflix and uses his case in the media. In Germany, for legal reasons, Soering is not allowed to accuse his ex-girlfriend of the crime. Instead, Soering portrayed himself as a victim and critic of an unjust US justice system.The killings took place at the Haysom's residence in the unincorporated hamlet of Boonsboro, Bedford County, Virginia in March 1985. Söring (along with Elizabeth Haysom) fled the United States shortly thereafter. They were arrested in London in April 1986. His fight against extradition led to the landmark judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Soering v United Kingdom that establishes that extradition to the United States is illegal if the accused faces the death penalty. Söring was extradited after the authorities in Bedford County gave assurances that they would not seek the death penalty.

Following his arrest in 1986, Söring confessed to the murders during interrogation by police, but at his trial in 1990 he pleaded not guilty, claiming he confessed to shield Haysom from prosecution, believing that he had diplomatic immunity. Söring was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. Alleging irregularities in the investigation leading to his arrest and in his trial, in the years following his conviction Söring filed a number of legal appeals and post-conviction petitions. All were rejected by the courts.

During his incarceration, Söring converted from Buddhism to Roman Catholicism and wrote multiple books about his life in prison and his religious beliefs. His 2007 book The Convict Christ was awarded first prize by the Catholic Press Association of North America in the category "Social Concerns".