Freedom, but no pardon: Soering and Haysom to be paroled, deported

“Finally.” That was the first word tweeted on a Twitter account for Jens Soering November 25, the day he learned he and former girlfriend Elizabeth Haysom had been granted parole, 34 years after the savage murders of her parents, Derek and Nancy Haysom. Upon their release, Soering, 53, and Haysom, 55, will be turned over […]

Pressure to pardon: New experts weigh in on Soering case

  A nationally recognized DNA expert says his conclusions provide further evidence that convicted murderer and former UVA student Jens Soering, who was charged with the 1985 murders of his girlfriend’s parents, Derek and Nancy Haysom, could be innocent—and that two killers who were involved are still at large. Forensic scientist Thomas McClintock, who is […]

Femme fatale: Literary allusions in the Haysom homicides

The tale of UVA students Elizabeth Haysom and Jens Soering, who were convicted in the 1985 double murders of Haysom’s parents, has long riveted central Virginia, and a new documentary reveals how the two saw themselves as tragic characters out of Shakespeare and Dickens. Initially Soering confessed to the murders, he says, to protect his […]

Absolute pardon: Soering petitions another governor

During the 30 years he’s spent in prison, Jens Soering has maintained he had nothing to do with the brutal 1985 murders of Derek and Nancy Haysom, and that he only confessed to protect his girlfriend, Elizabeth Haysom, from the death penalty. Now Tim Kaine, the governor who agreed to send Soering back to Germany […]

VP candidate and convicted murderer in spotlight again

Former UVA student Jens Soering has spent more than 30 years in prison while protesting his innocence. And Tim Kaine, shortly before he left the Governor’s Mansion in 2010, agreed to repatriate Soering to Germany, a move that was immediately overturned by his successor, Bob McDonnell. Now Kaine has been tapped to be the Democratic […]

Soering documentary to premiere at Munich Film Festival

With the success of the podcast “Serial” and Netflix’s “Making a Murderer,” wrongful convictions are a hot topic. Joining the debate is a documentary about one of central Virginia’s most notorious double homicides—and the convicted murderer who has insisted he’s innocent for 30 years. The Promise: The Story of Jens Soering and Elizabeth Haysom heads […]