BERLIN (AP) — German prosecutors say an Afghan migrant who was convicted of murdering his 15-year-old German girlfriend has been found dead in his cell after apparently hanging himself.

The young man, who was identified only as Abdul D. in line with German privacy rules, was sentenced to 8 ½ years in prison September last year. Prosecutors said his body was found at a juvenile prison in Schifferstadt early Thursday. They said in a statement that prison officials hadn't seen any signs of "suicidal intent."

The stabbing of the 15-year-old girl at a drugstore in the southwestern town of Kandel in December 2017 shocked Germany and fueled a debate about violence by migrants, following an influx of more than 1 million people since 2015. Far-right groups staged several protests.