Karl K. had to appear in court in Vienna 39 years ago. At that time he was in his mid-thirties, but today he is already an old man. The crime is the same: the convicted murderer again resorted to the knife and horribly disfigured his partner – she survived. This time he did not legally impose the maximum sentence.
In Vienna, a 75-year-old enters interrogation room 1, laughing and clowning in front of the media representatives. An appearance that is completely at odds with what brought him to justice. On May 21, he tried to kill his partner, completely disfiguring her.
It wasn’t the first time he pulled out a knife
The public prosecutor does not talk at length about the suspect’s criminal past: “Karl K. has already extinguished a human life once. He’s stabbed someone in the face before. You could say that before them stands a convicted murderer who tried again.”
In 1985, the now 75-year-old was sentenced to 20 years in prison. 39 years ago, during a bar fight in Vienna’s second district, he killed a complete stranger with a powerful stab to the face.
A total of 30 years in prison
Just one – probably the worst – of a total of 19 previous convictions. “Everything that the Criminal Code allows. If you add up the convictions, Karl K. was sentenced to almost thirty years in prison,” the prosecutor told the jury.
And this time too it is a murder that puts the Viennese in the dock. Because his partner wanted to divorce him, he attacked her in her apartment in the 21st arrondissement, first with pepper spray and then in the hallway with a pocket knife. Even when the 48-year-old was already in a corner, he did not let her go. He disfigured the victim’s face, neck and throat with a total of twenty cuts – the scars remain to this day.
Karl K.’s impulsive, aggressive nature soon becomes apparent in the courtroom: he repeatedly interrupts the prosecutor and the judge and even describes the jury as a ‘Puss and Judy show’. When the forensic doctor gives a lecture, he panics: “What is he saying? “Do you want it like this?” – just one of his interjections. Until the prison guards finally take him away.
“I’m going to cut your face!”
His lawyer Melanie Kolar does not try to hide anything: of course her client is guilty. The only thing that offends her is attempted murder. “He must be punished for what he announced and subsequently did,” she pleads for intentional infliction of serious bodily harm. Before the brutal knife attack, the 75-year-old shouted at his victim: “I’m going to cut your face!”
And Karl K. also finds clear words about the suspect’s intention to murder: ‘I didn’t want that, otherwise I would have really killed her!’ Private party representative Thomas Kralik – he demands 20,000 euros for the victim – is certain: ‘If she was the witness. If we hadn’t come with a Glock in our hands, we wouldn’t have attempted murder today.” – because it was only when a neighbor came to help with her private gun that K fled.
Maximum fine imposed
The verdict of the jury – eight women – was unanimous: the brutal knife attack on the ex-partner was attempted murder. Due to Karl K.’s “heavily tarnished past”, the jury has only one option: life imprisonment! The 48-year-old victim received 10,000 euros. Lawyer Melanie Kolar does not provide an explanation, therefore the maximum sentence is not legally binding.
The life sentence was not entirely unexpected for Melanie Kolar: “The suspect’s previous life had no significant influence on the verdict. The judgment is therefore not surprising. This is our jury system.”
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.
