Laid dead on the doorstep – abuse trial: ‘She just rattled’

The young man met the later victim at a drug party in his apartment in Vienna-Döbling. The 18-year-old would have come into contact with drugs at a young age and has been living under supervision since he was three years old. “He has not been able to successfully complete the therapy so far,” says the public prosecutor about the suspect’s addiction. “As a result, the meetings at his home escalated and narcotics were also used there.”

Drug fest as a crime scene
It was the same on the first weekend of December of the previous year: “There was a constant coming and going,” the prosecutor of the Vienna regional court describes the party. On Sunday, the young woman also appeared at the party with a friend – probably already under the influence of drugs – and took sleeping pills there, which the then 17-year-old provided.

From that moment on, the victim would have been asleep and not really reacting anymore. And the suspect alone with her. He would have sexually abused Melanie in this defenseless state. “She was not his girlfriend. He did not know her. She was not in a state where she could have agreed to such a thing,” the prosecutor clarifies, at the same time referring to DNA traces found in the woman’s intimate area.

Instead of making an emergency call, dumped lifeless in the aisle
He wouldn’t have called friends until Monday, what should he do, Melanie wouldn’t wake up. He didn’t call 911. Instead, he placed the lifeless woman in front of his house. A contacted friend of the suspect eventually called the rescue after a phone call.

His defense doesn’t understand why the boy didn’t do this himself. Nevertheless, “It’s very likely that he didn’t notice until she was beyond help.” He too turned to his friends for help. “As it turned out, it was hours too late.”

No memory of drug weekend
Similar to the charge of abandoning an injured person resulting in death, the defendant will plead not guilty to sexually assaulting a defenseless person. His trial secretary: “We don’t have anyone to tell us there wasn’t consensual sex.”

And his client? He can’t remember the events of the weekend, after all, he was also troubled by the drugs. In front of the police, he said only: “I woke up and she was naked in the genitals. But I don’t know why. She was just rattling.”

Accused interrogation too private for the public
The public is barred for the duration of the young adult’s questioning. After all, he was still 17 years old at the time and his family background and his past would be discussed. Then witnesses are heard. One partygoer after another testifies in the courtroom of the Viennese court.

Revelers report completely deranged victims
They cannot tell directly about the suspicious act, after all, the 18-year-old was alone in the apartment with Melanie from Sunday evening. The young witnesses agree on one thing: the young woman came to the party severely handicapped. “She couldn’t stand up straight, she just swallowed,” one young man recalled.

Psychiatrist: He comes from an unfavorable environment
As with the interrogation of the suspect, the public is also excluded for the duration of the psychiatric report – here too, family background plays a major role. The suspect experienced violence early on and was confronted with alcohol and drugs.

When his mother died last year: “She was his only carer. He had lost his anchor and then started experimenting,” his lawyer said. He also increasingly lost contact with his older brother, who knew nothing about the youngster’s addiction.

There is a risk of up to five years in prison
For more witnesses and experts, the trial continues on August 8. A verdict is also expected on the second day of the trial. If convicted, the Viennese risks up to five years in prison – after all, juvenile criminal law applies to him. The fine is therefore halved.