In June last year, a 30-year-old man in Vorarlberg stabbed his elderly father with a kitchen knife. The 85-year-old died on the spot. On Wednesday, the senate of the assize court of Feldkirch decided on the fate of the son.
Was it murder? Did the son commit the act intentionally? Was he healthy or not? Three questions for the jury to decide. The unanimous answer: Yes, it was murder. However, the eight jurors were convinced that the crime was committed while they were in a state of “serious mental illness”. In short: the person concerned was not in his right mind at the time of the crime, which court psychiatrist Reinhard Haller had already confirmed in a report. The reason: the 30-year-old, who has been treated repeatedly in the LKH Rankweil since 2015 for his bipolar disorder, had stopped taking his medication on his own shortly before the crime. According to Reinhard Haller, the additional abuse of addictive substances such as cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine fueled the person’s manic-depressive phases.
On the night of July 22 to July 23 last year, there was finally such a manic phase that the son became a parricide. After an argument, he rammed a kitchen knife three times into the back of the 85-year-old, who needed care. The victim died at the scene of the crime. The police officers at the scene noted in their official report at the time: “The person concerned wore a balaclava and psychologically made a very striking impression. In his behavior he showed an inordinate inclination towards gods and powers.” According to Haller, this condition eventually led the man to kill his beloved father.
Because the psychiatrist fears that the person concerned could commit even more crimes against life and limb without admission to a forensic therapeutic center, the jury agrees with a referral.
Source: Krone
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