An 80-year old ex-officer of East Germany’s Stasi secret police force was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday by the Berlin Regional Court for the murder of Czeslaw Kukuczka in 1974. The 10-year sentence was lower than the 12 years demanded by prosecutors.

Kukuczka failed to show up to work on March 3, 1974, and until March 29, 1974, there was no information on his whereabouts. On March 29, Kukuczka reappeared at the Polish embassy in East Berlin where he demanded he be allowed to pass the Friedrichstrasse station border crossing to West Berlin, stating failure to comply would lead to the bombing of several buildings in Berlin. It is believed that Kukuczka was attempting to emigrate to the US. Several Stasi officers took Kukuczka to the border crossing. While the events that unfolded next are unclear, Kukuczka was shot several times. Despite the severity of his injuries, Kukuczka was not taken to a hospital, apparently because of terrorism suspicions, resulting in his death. Further investigation of the incident revealed that there were no explosives on Kukuczka at the time of death.

For privacy reasons, the officer has not be identified by name. The prosecution originally labeled the charge as manslaughter. However, because of the German state’s statute of limitations and efforts by Polish investigators, the crime was reclassified as “treacherous.” The defense team argued there was no proof the defendant was the shooter, calling for acquittal. The court acknowledged that although the defendant was lower on the chain of command in the Stasi, he was rewarded for his actions. In 2016, it was discovered in the Stasi archive that the defendant received a combat medal for his actions. The defendant remained silent throughout the duration of trial, which began in March.

The judgement can be appealed.