Boyfriend of Simone Strobel Arrested for 2005 Murder

25-year-old German schoolteacher Simone Strobel was murdered in 2005 while she backpacked through Lismore, Australia. Her body was found “hidden under palm fronds at a nearby sports ground” six days after she disappeared from a caravan park on February 11th, reports CBS News.

Seventeen years later, a suspect has been arrested by a Western Australia homicide detective: Strobel’s boyfriend, 42-year-old Tobias Friedrich Moran (formerly Tobias Suckfuell). Moran’s extradition to New South Wales was approved in court today, and he will be transported to Sydney on Wednesday, states SBS News. He’ll face the Downing Centre Local Court there on Thursday. Moran’s lawyer, Tony Elliot, has stated “his client had no previous known convictions and he was unaware of any other charges or bail proceedings.”

Investigation into Strobel’s murder is still active, with an AUD $1 million (USD $695,000) reward posted by the New South Wales government for information regarding the case.

During initial coronial investigations in 2007, Deputy NSW Coroner Paul McMahon had confirmed his “very strong suspicion” of Moran (then Suckfuell), but had had insufficient evidence to recommend charges at the time. SBS News reports police have still not confirmed Moran’s exact charges, which will likely be made public on Thursday.