Trial in Solothurn: Teenager accused of killing cyclist out of pure curiosity
A young Swiss man is standing trial at Solothurn district court, accused of fatally attacking a random cyclist in April 2023.
Trial in Solothurn: Teenager accused of killing cyclist out of pure curiosity
A criminal trial is being heard at Solothurn district court against a then 19-year-old local man. He is accused of killing a completely unknown young woman on her way home to her grandparents in spring 2023.
According to the investigation, the accused was driving a van over several Swiss motorways late in the evening of 8 April. As he passed a roundabout, he suddenly decided to take someone's life – purely to find out what it would feel like.
Shortly afterwards, he spotted his future victim. The young woman was riding an electric bicycle. The man turned around and pursued her with his vehicle. He rammed her from behind, but she fell and was able to get up without serious injury.
The perpetrator got out and tried to knock her down with blows. The woman resisted and ran away. However, he caught up with her in a field and strangled her for approximately 20 seconds. When she lay motionless, he brought her bicycle to the van.
From a distance, he saw the woman move again. He then deliberately ran her over. She ended up under the front axle of his vehicle. As he attempted to move forwards and backwards, she suffocated under the weight of the vehicle.
The prosecution accuses him of murder. It emphasises that he had the opportunity to abandon his plan on several occasions. To date, he has shown no remorse. Ten people have joined as civil parties.
A forensic psychiatrist testified as a witness. Initially, the accused claimed to have heard voices. This could indicate schizophrenia, but further signs are lacking. A personality disorder is more likely: the man is strongly self-centred and insecure. The desire to control others may have led to the act. His approach was partly deliberate, which speaks against purely impulsive behaviour.
Therapy is likely to be difficult and lengthy. The accused admitted to having consumed drugs before the act. He said he can understand that the public regards him as a monster. He made no statement to the judge about his motives.
The verdict is to be announced in the coming week. Until then, the presumption of innocence applies.
Source: SRF
Source: SRF