The Vienna State Police Directorate announced at lunchtime on Tuesday the arrest of a suspect following the series of murders of homeless people in Vienna. Investigators cited broken family relationships and his severe drug addiction as possible triggers for the crimes.
More details are emerging about the man who turned himself in to police on Monday, claiming to be responsible for the homeless murders in Vienna.
As police announced on Tuesday during a background interrogation at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the 16-year-old came from a broken family background, was seeking attention and was driven by inner restlessness, sadness and anger in committing his crimes.
According to Colonel Gerhard Winkler, there is no reason for his actions. But: “Based on the investigation, it can be said that his private situation has deteriorated; on the one hand he has dropped out of school and on the other hand his drug addiction has worsened.”
Already escalated before actions
During his hours-long interrogation in the presence of his lawyer Manfred Arbacher-Stöger, he stated that he had used drugs since he was sixteen, including hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine. “On July 12, he specifically looked for people who met essentially three criteria: easy availability, second, privacy (i.e., no witnesses), and third, defenselessness,” Winkler said. Two homeless people died.
But even before the crimes, he was not a blank slate. In September 2023, he came to the attention of officials due to his drug addiction. “In September, an argument with his mother also escalated, during which he injured her during the argument,” police continued.
Mother attacked
After the crime, the boy tried to regain control of his life. The decisive factor in his statement to the police “was that he had found a girlfriend with whom he is still in a relationship. This makes him feel safe and loved and therefore the inner restlessness, aggression and anger no longer exists.”
The boy also provides specific information about the murder weapon, as the ‘Krone’ already reported. It is a stiletto with a total length of 23 centimeters.
Source: Krone
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