When his case was reopened in 1969, Strippel emerged from the trial victorious. The court found that his involvement in 21 murders in Buchenwald concentration camp only constituted accessory to murder because he had not executed his ‘own will to commit the offence.’ His prison sentence was reduced from 21 life sentences to six years. In addition, he received 121,500 German marks in compensation for the ‘unjust time’ he had already served – far more than any Holocaust victim had ever been awarded.
