A young girl accused of stabbing her 12-year-old classmate to death in Germany while another pal held her down allegedly planned the killing in advance.

Local media say the younger of the two confessed perpetrators researched criminal liability on the internet before committing the harrowing crime on 11th March.

According to the German Criminal Code, criminals under the age of 14 cannot be held accountable for their actions.

The discovery suggests 12-year-old Anna-Marie Hoffman wanted to make sure she and co-accused Luisa Halberstadt, 13, could commit the crime and get off scot-free.

Investigators believe the girls lured victim Luise Frisch to an area of forest in Freudenberg, North Rhine-Westphalia State.

There, they allegedly tried to suffocate her with a plastic bag.

When this failed, Hoffman allegedly pulled a nail file and stabbed her repeatedly while Halberstadt held her down.

Forensic pathologists in Mainz confirmed more than 30 stabs wounds.

After the vicious attack, the two girls allegedly threw Luise down a slope from a bike path and left her to bleed to death.

Investigators believe hurt feelings were likely the motive for the crime, after Luise apparently poked fun at the physique of one of the girls.

Other possible motives suggested in earlier reports include Luise mocking the family of one of the girls and competition over a boy.

Given the lack of punishment stipulated by the German Criminal Code, lawmakers in North Rhine-Westphalia are currently discussing the perpetrators’ fate.

At the time of reporting, the main suspect was being held in a juvenile psychiatric facility.

It was earlier reported that the girls posted a video of themselves dancing on TikTok on 12th March, around the same time police recovered their victim’s disfigured body.

It was also earlier reported that their families had been forced to flee their homes to escape a wave of hatred in their hometown.