Murder trial in Krems: 30-year-old charged in death of her baby
A woman from the Zwettl district must answer for the death of her 15-month-old child in Krems. The defence relies on psychiatric exculpatory circumstances.
Murder trial in Krems: 30-year-old charged in death of her baby
Before the Krems Regional Court, a 30-year-old defendant from the Zwettl district will stand trial starting Thursday, 18 June 2026. She is accused of killing her 15-month-old child by strangulation in February.
The man with whom she lived and who was also the father of the infant found her and his severely injured partner upon his return home. The defendant had apparently attempted suicide, slashing her carotid artery with a blade. After receiving medical treatment, she was taken into custody and remanded in investigative detention.
Today the former disability care worker sits in a psychiatric hospital in Mauer. Her lawyer Sandro Marko intends to plead for acquittal in the proceedings. An expert assessment obtained by him attests that the woman was unable to be held responsible for her actions at the time of the act. This stands in contrast to the court's assessment.
Marko points to severe childhood experiences as context. The defendant was a victim of sexual violence in the domestic sphere, which had been covered up. When she later received confirmation from her sister that the assaults were real, this had serious psychological consequences. In addition, according to the defence, the defendant discovered that her partner was also secretly drinking alcohol.
The assessment commissioned by the opposing side describes an almost delusional focus on the family situation. The woman had seen joint death as the only way to spare the child similar traumatic experiences.
The jury must now decide whether to acknowledge her lack of criminal responsibility or convict her of murder.
Source: MeinBezirk.at
Source: Google News AT — Crime (de)