Daniel Troger, 26, was led into court in handcuffs in Hof, in the German state of Bavaria, on Thursday to face trial over the rape and death of Lena, 10.
Lena, ten, who was raped and murdered in a German children s home, had been taken away from her family amid allegations of abuse - only to be bullied by the 11-year-old boy who would eventually go on to kill her.
The victim, identified only as Lena, was found dead in her room at a child and youth welfare facility in Wunsiedel, in Germany s Bavaria region, on 4 April.