The brutal crime against a 55-year-old widow caused a sensation in 2001. The perpetrator, a then 65-year-old from Mühlviertel, has now died – more than ten years after his release from prison – at the age of 88 in a room in a senior center. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison and released after eleven years.
“And there are always traces of this life, thoughts, images and moments. They will remind us of you, make us happy and sad and not let us be forgotten.”
Family members say such an intimate yet ambiguous farewell to an 88-year-old from Mühlviertler. The very old senior, who now died in a retirement home in the Urfahr-Raum district, made headlines 23 years ago – on August 12, 2001 to be precise.
Dead people in the streambed
The then 65-year-old murdered the 55-year-old widow Anna Hofer that summer night in Helfenberg. The woman’s body was found in a stream bed near an inn and almost laid out.
The cause of death: the pensioner had been hit on the head several times with a sharp, hard object. According to a later autopsy, she had suffocated on her own blood. The only suspect was the 65-year-old from Mühlviertler, who had been a good friend of the later murder victim since 1999.
Widow spoiled financially
He had helped the widow with renovation work on the house and offered her financial support: a total of about 7,000 euros. The retired chemical worker also spoiled the woman, who was ten years younger than him, with jewelry worth about 1,400 euros.
He claimed the relationship was only platonic
Although the suitor stayed at her home three times a week, it was said to have been only a platonic relationship. “She was a good conversationalist. “But we never got closer,” the suspect claimed during the murder trial in January 2002. Yet he never felt abused.
No memory
Although Anna sometimes flirted with other men, that was no reason for him to be jealous. On the evening of the crime, both victim and perpetrator were heavily drunk when they left the inn together. During the trial, the suspect claimed he could not remember anything: “I didn’t touch Anna.”
Had two beers afterwards
After the crime, he sat back in the dining room and drank two more beers. However, bloodstained and soaked clothing was found in his apartment, the dead woman’s handbag was under the workbench in the basement, and burnt remains of its contents were in the oven.
Eleven years behind bars
The jury had no doubts: the murderer was unanimously sentenced to 16 years in prison. On August 13, 2012, he was released on parole after eleven years. An important condition: he had to remain abstinent. He must have succeeded in that for the past twelve years, because since then he remained good until the Grim Reaper rang the doorbell…
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.
