Former Cobra officer as poison victim: cellmate acquitted in Graz
A former Styrian Cobra officer testified as an alleged victim of a poisoning attack in prison. The accused cellmate was acquitted for lack of evidence.
Acquittal following alleged poisoning attack on former Cobra officer in pre-trial custody
A former Styrian Cobra police officer is expected to face trial for murder in December – but this week the 31-year-old southeastern Styrian appeared before Graz-East District Court in another matter: as a witness and alleged victim. According to the Kleine Zeitung, a cellmate is said to have mixed a medication cocktail into his drinking water in February.
The accused cellmate, a convicted sex offender, was subsequently charged with grievous bodily harm. The maximum sentence for this charge is one year imprisonment.
Before the competent judge, however, suspicion of a deliberate poisoning attack did not materialise. A second cellmate called as a witness stated that he had noticed nothing, thereby supporting the accused's account. According to the Kronen Zeitung, the evidence proved too thin – the judge ruled for acquittal.
The former Cobra officer is accused of killing fitness trainer Johanna G. from Tillmitsch in his vehicle and burying her body in a wooded area near his parents' home. This murder trial is considered one of the most sensational criminal proceedings of the current year.
Source: Kleine Zeitung