Mother sentenced to 16 years imprisonment after killing her son
A jury court in Krems sentenced a 30-year-old woman to 16 years in prison after she killed her 15-month-old son.
Mother sentenced to 16 years imprisonment after killing her son
A jury court in Krems sentenced a 30-year-old woman to 16 years in prison on Thursday. She was found guilty of the murder of her 15-month-old son and declared fully responsible for her actions. The verdict is not yet final.
The crime occurred on 18 February in Groß Gerungs. According to the indictment, the woman suffocated the boy during his afternoon nap. She then attempted suicide. A relative later found the dead infant and the severely injured mother. After being admitted to hospital, she was arrested and placed in custody.
During the trial, the defendant admitted to the act. She stated that she wanted to protect the boy from an environment marked by alcohol and substance abuse. She described how her partner had increasingly abandoned her after the birth and had shown a serious alcohol problem. She said she had contacted the child protection centre and women's counselling but could not manage moving out: "I was simply at my wits' end."
The prosecution disputed the assertion that the crime was spontaneous. In her opening statement, the prosecutor described the offence as planned over several weeks. The defence, however, argued for diminished responsibility and relied on a private expert opinion. However, the court-appointed expert concluded that the woman had been fully responsible for her actions at the time of the crime.
The defendant's lawyer presented that his client had been abused as a child by her alcoholic father, which had profoundly shaped her personality development. A request to exclude the public during the examination of evidence was rejected.
The proceedings took place before a jury. They found the woman guilty of murder and imposed the 16-year prison sentence.
Source: Google News AT — Crime (de)