Murder charge against husband after bloody crime
timeline
After the violent death of a 30-year-old in an inn in Piesendorf (Pinzgau) in May, the public prosecutor’s office is now charging her husband, the inn tenant, with murder. According to a court-appointed expert, the 42-year-old man was of sound mind at the time of the crime.
“Emotionally destabilized – but probably still able to distinguish between right and wrong”: this is how the neuropsychiatric expert at the court, Gabriele Wörgötter, described the state of mind of the 42-year-old. For the public prosecutor’s office, the report is a reason to charge the native German with murder.
The accused is said to have brought a kitchen knife
He deliberately killed his 30-year-old wife with three knife wounds in the chest. One of them is said to have gone straight to the heart. According to the prosecution, the short-term indication of this is that the 42-year-old may have brought the kitchen knife used from home. “The police investigation showed that no such knife was found in the kitchen bar area, but an identical knife with the same handle was found in a sock drawer in the bedroom in the apartment,” says prosecutor Elena Haslinger.
Defender speaks of manslaughter
The defender of the accused German does not see murder, but manslaughter. His client also asked himself after the fact: “I am convinced that there is a generally understandable emotion here. My client never wanted and had the intention to kill intentionally,” says defense attorney Franz Essl.
The public prosecutor’s office, however, sees it differently: “Just because emotions are involved in a homicide, because the perpetrator is excited or jealous, does not mean that it is legally manslaughter. And that’s why we assume murder in this case as well. For us, the emotion that the defense attorney is talking about is by no means generally understandable,” says Haslinger.
Turbulent relationship
A dispute about the separation modalities had escalated. The couple separated in January. According to the indictment, the reasons for this would be work overload, massive jealousy and the unfulfilled desire for a second child.
A week before the crime: criminal complaint for bodily harm
A week before the bloody crime, a criminal complaint had been filed against the 42-year-old for assault and stalking. The 30-year-old withdrew the application for the extension of an existing ban on entering and approaching him the day before the crime. According to the psychiatric court report, the accused is guilty. A trial date has not yet been set.