Friesach: Ex-partner kills successor with axe and subsequently commits suicide
A 27-year-old broke into his former girlfriend's flat in Carinthia, killed her new partner and seriously injured the woman. He later deliberately crashed into an articulated lorry.
Friesach: Ex-partner kills successor with axe and subsequently commits suicide
A relationship conflict escalated fatally in a residential settlement in the city of Friesach during the night into Tuesday. A 27-year-old man broke into the flat of his former live-in partner and grabbed an axe. The woman's current partner was killed in the attack, and she herself suffered serious injuries. The alleged attacker ended his life shortly afterwards in a deliberate collision with a lorry.
The incident began at around two in the morning. The man used a key, which he apparently still had after the separation, to gain access to the 30-year-old woman's flat. The woman awoke at the noise and was immediately attacked by the intruder with the 80-centimetre-long weapon. Injured, she managed to flee the flat and seek help in the neighbourhood.
In the meantime, the aggressor turned on the woman's new live-in partner, who was asleep. Multiple blows with the axe inflicted such severe wounds on the 30-year-old that he lost his life on the spot.
The injured woman reached a neighbouring house, where residents provided care and called emergency services. Rescue workers took her to Friesach Hospital, where she had to undergo surgery. She has since been discharged from the hospital.
Before police arrived at the scene, the 27-year-old fled in the woman's vehicle. On Friesacher Straße (B317) he drove at high speed in the direction of Klagenfurt. Near the town of St. Michael am Zollfeld, at around 2.30 in the morning, he deliberately steered towards an oncoming lorry. The crash cost him his life. The 45-year-old driver of the articulated lorry remained unharmed but suffered severe shock and was taken to Klagenfurt Clinic.
During the violent act, two small children were in the flat. According to police spokesperson Werner Pucher, the children were initially asleep and only woke up as a result of the incident. They left the flat of their own accord and remained physically unharmed. Relatives subsequently took them in.
The background to the act remains unclear so far. The State Criminal Office is leading the investigation.
Source: Kleine Zeitung