The four border guards at first got an award ("Leistungsabzeichen der Grenztruppen") from the chief of the local border guards, Erich Wöllner, and a prize of 150 East German Marks each. After the reunification of East and West Germany, they were prosecuted by Berlin regional court. Two of them were released in January 1992. Ingo Heinrich, who fired the shot that killed Gueffroey was sentenced to three and a half years in jail. The Bundesgerichtshof reduced the penalty to a suspended sentence of two years in 1994.