Murder trial in Vienna: 33-year-old on trial after eight years
A man must answer for the death of his former partner, who disappeared in 2018. The accused confessed last winter and led police to the remains.
Murder trial in Vienna: 33-year-old on trial after eight years
A Vienna jury court has been hearing evidence this week against a 33-year-old man accused of killing his former live-in partner. The 21-year-old Jennifer S. disappeared from the couple's shared apartment in Vienna's Brigittenau district in early 2018, after the pair had a fierce argument and separated.
The search for the young woman remained unsuccessful for years. Her former partner denied any involvement. In spring 2019, authorities suspended the investigation on grounds of unlawful deprivation of liberty. It was only much later that new investigative leads emerged: the defendant had detailed in an online conversation how to dispose of a body without raising suspicion. These messages brought him back into focus for investigators.
In December of last year, the man confessed to the crime and directed criminal investigators to the location of the buried remains. According to his account, he initially took the body to Großweikersdorf in Tulln district. A few weeks later, he relocated it to the area around the Allentsteig military training ground in Zwettl district, where it was finally found.
The prosecution is seeking a prison sentence of between ten and twenty years or indefinite detention. Additionally, it applied for his admission to a forensic institution pursuant to § 21 subsection 2 of the Austrian Criminal Code. Experts have diagnosed the defendant with a mixed personality disorder. Without therapeutic support during his detention, renewed dangerousness following a possible release could not be ruled out.
Court spokeswoman Christina Salzborn confirmed the trial began on Thursday.
Source: Oberösterreichische Nachrichten
Source: Google News AT — Crime (de)