He is said to have attacked his former internet girlfriend in Regau (Vöcklabruck district) in October 2023 and seriously injured her with the knife. The judgment is not final.
The jury found it proven that the defendant tried to kill his online acquaintance by cutting deeply into the neck. The accused denied the intention to kill and injure before the police and in court, saying he wanted to “talk and commit suicide.” He had previously held her in the apartment for hours. He is also guilty of aggravated coercion and false imprisonment, which he confessed to.
“Cruel and painful”
In the closing argument, the prosecution spoke of the perpetrator’s “unprecedented criminal energy and the deep desperation that was evident in the victim during the well-rehearsed interview. He behaved towards the woman in an incredibly cruel and torturous manner.” The public prosecutor demanded a guilty verdict for attempted murder: “Knife to the neck, there is no doubt about it. In this case, someone wants to kill or accepts it.”
The defense cited contradictions in the demonstration of the crime as well as open questions in the expert’s statements. A lack of defensive injuries would also point to the defendant’s version. “Of course my client is to blame for the injuries and the crime, no question about it, but he didn’t want to kill her,” said the accused’s lawyer.
Met on online platform
The 36-year-old and the defendant met in 2022 on the online platform Discord. They got along well, their backgrounds were similar and the exchange became personal. Their connection was purely online, including via video chats.
A kind of long-distance relationship developed, although they never met directly. But as the 36-year-old Dutch woman stated, the conversations became uncomfortable for her and she ended the contact. However, the man repeatedly tried to speak to her via the platform. Ultimately, she stopped replying to his messages and thought the matter was over.
Robbery in an underground car park
In October last year, the accused, who now lives in Munich, showed up at her home with a knife in his hand and attacked her in the underground car park. This is where the cuts on the hand occurred. Then they both went into the apartment and after around three hours he led them to a nearby forest. When neighbors and the police finally got closer, the serious neck injury occurred.
The defendant claimed in court that he only wanted to take his own life and that the injuries were unintentional. The prosecution contradicted this and the victim also believed that the deep, nine centimeter long cut on the neck was intentional: “I think it’s almost impossible that something like that could happen accidentally.”
