“The real addressee of the aggression was the partner” – this sentence from expert Adelheid Kastner caused a murmur from the audience during the Steyr murder trial. Because the suspect apparently fired his pent-up hatred at a ‘lightning rod’: the hated ex-brother-in-law. But the trigger was something completely different, namely his own disastrous relationship.
“Are you still Mr. K.’s partner?” Judge Dagmar Gursch needed a few minutes to clarify this question with the woman with whom the suspect (38) lived in Ennsdorf at the time of the crime. The woman said, “I don’t live with him” because he was in jail. But she is still “with him”. That was enough to qualify her as a life partner and she was able to avoid the declaration. A casual “farewell” from the defendant, without a smile, and then she left the jury room of the Steyr Regional Court.
Divorce disputes were not an issue that day
Court psychiatrist Adelheid Kastner explained in her report that the suspect is “completely healthy”. He had a great need for harmony and largely stayed out of the custody dispute between his sister and ex-brother-in-law over their two children (11, 12). This was not a problem even on the day of the crime. The expert explained in the suspect’s story why he subsequently ‘performed’: a difficult childhood with a very controlling mother, his sister’s divorce from a ‘narcissist’ and the history of his current partner, who also suffered from a ‘narcissist’. . But the anger was actually directed at his partner, who was constantly controlling him and was very jealous. On the day of the crime, she also “followed” him to the inn, where he discussed cars with a friend and wanted to avoid a fight at home.
“The aggression was actually directed against the partner,” said the expert. But he didn’t want to or couldn’t turn on them, so he looked for another lightning rod and decided that all his misfortunes were the fault of “narcissists”. And that’s why he decided to kill his ex-brother-in-law, whom he saw as a ‘pathological narcissist’. “For him, this decision was logical,” said the expert, who sees “emotional tension” in the defendant, but not an affective act: “He had to think about it for a long time, but he stuck to the plan.”
The defendant would not comment on the report – the jury retired to deliberate at 3:25 p.m. In his closing statement, the suspect took responsibility for the murder and asked for a lenient sentence.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
