“Blood was spurting from his neck,” the suspect even told the judge at the Vienna Regional Court. He seriously injured an old acquaintance with a pocket knife. While the Public Prosecution Service speaks of a planned murder attempt – which remained an attempt – the 36-year-old claims to have only acted in self-defense. But the jury doesn’t believe him.
Rolled up the carpet and wrapped it in plastic, pushed the coffee table aside and spread a black cloth on the floor. A 36-year-old is said to have tidied up his living room before inviting an old acquaintance for tea on April 9. And first attacked him with an iron bar and then rammed a knife into the 37-year-old’s neck.
The social worker cannot explain the attack
“I thought every day about why he was planning this. He prepared the apartment and was extremely nervous that day,” the victim recalled in the Vienna Regional Court – he barely survived after emergency surgery. The two men have known each other since they were young. But contact was broken six years ago. The jury hears two versions of this. The 36-year-old started smoking a lot of weed and they grew apart, the older man said.
Family conflicts years ago as a reason for conflict?
In his description, the suspect himself also gives the alleged reason for the bloody act: Years ago there was a dispute between the two families and contact between the former friends was broken. They then found each other again via Facebook. He invited the social worker to his apartment in the 23rd district. The outdated conflict would have arisen again. “He said I was a liar,” the Viennese man with Afghan roots said in court.
The bank employee hit the victim on the shins with a telescopic stick. The suspect himself claims to have been the victim of an attack: “I was terrified. Then I remembered I had a knife in my pocket.” In a struggle he ‘slipped’ with this pocket knife and hit the social worker’s carotid artery. A version that the 36-year-old is performing for the first time.
The defendant’s version does not match the forensic report
But in the Vienna Regional Court it soon becomes clear: the way the suspect describes the crime, it cannot have happened. At the latest, when forensic pathologist Wolfgang Denk reenacts the alleged scuffle with the Viennese, the entire courtroom sees: it couldn’t have happened like that…
The victim also hears his former friend’s story for the first time: “I think what he says is ridiculous. I was even happy that there was contact again. But he is someone who is very easily offended,” he tries to explain the attack – more to himself. The approximately 15 cm long scar on the left side of his neck is still clearly visible and he can only move his left arm to a very limited extent.
A miracle when you consider the defendant’s statement: “Blood was spurting from his neck!” The 37-year-old was only able to escape from the ground floor window because the attacker slipped in the pool of blood. “What happens next is truly cinematic,” the prosecutor announces. In Breitenfurter Straße, the bleeding man was immediately discovered by two passers-by: a paramedic and a WEGA official.
Despite the life-threatening injury, lawyer Sascha Flatz is certain: “My client would never have wanted that. He had no intention of murder.” Still, he wanted to pay the victim compensation for the pain and suffering. He even took it to the trial.
However, after more than two hours of deliberation, the jury decided differently: the conviction for attempted murder was unanimous. Legally, the suspect does not have to spend 18 years in prison.
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.
