German-born Josef Schütz, who served as a guard in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp during World War II, was sentenced to five years in prison in June 2022 after being found complicit in war crimes committed during the Holocaust.
At 101 years old, he became the oldest person ever tried and convicted for Nazi war crimes in Germany.
However, on April 26, 2023, it was announced that Schütz had passed away.
Schütz was born on November 16, 1920, in Lithuania. He began working at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1942, where he was stationed in the watchtower.
Schütz worked under three different camp commandants during his tenure at Sachsenhausen: Hans Loritz in 1942, Albert Sauer from 1942 to 1943, and Anton Kaindl from 1943 to 1945.
He remained at the camp until the end of the war in 1945.
Following the war, Schütz was released as a prisoner of war in 1947 and moved to East Germany, where he worked as a locksmith.
He was married at one point but became a widower in 1986. By 2021, he was living in the northeastern German state of Brandenburg.
The conviction of Schütz is part of a wider effort by German authorities to bring former Nazi officials to justice.
Although the events of the Holocaust took place over 75 years ago, many of those who played a role in the atrocities are only now facing legal consequences for their actions.
Josef Schuetz Cause of Death
The cause of Josef Schuetz death is yet to be made available to the public.
Aiva Arthur
