Moshammer

Munich, Jan. 16 (Reuters): A 25-year-old Iraqi man has confessed to murdering a German fashion designer famed as much for his eccentric wig and pet dog Daisy as his creations, police said today.

Rudolph Moshammer, 64, was found dead by his chauffeur in his Munich villa on Friday with a cable wrapped around his neck. Police told a news conference he had fought with the accused man over a payment for sexual favours.

The flamboyant designer was a regular fixture in German media. Over the years his clients reportedly included California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, singer Jose Carreras and actor Richard Chamberlain.

Police arrested a man named Herisch A. at his flat last night after DNA samples made him a suspect, chief police inspector Harald Pickert said. Germans normally give only a suspect?s initial for a surname.

?After several hours of interrogations he made a confession,? Pickert said.

According to the Iraqi, Moshammer approached him just before midnight on Thursday at Munich central station and they agreed on a price of $2,621 for sexual favours, police said. The suspect got into Moshammer?s black Rolls-Royce and returned with him to his villa, where a fight broke out when the designer did not pay, police said.

?During this fight the 25-year-old suspect slung a cable around Moshammer?s neck and strangled him,? Pickert said.