“All four suspects planned and committed this terrible, brutal and terribly bloody murder together,” the prosecutor at the Vienna Regional Court accuses. At the end of April 2023, they are said to have literally executed a 32-year-old Algerian together. A 22-year-old fellow countryman admits to assaulting him with a machete.
Injury due to injury, the public prosecutor in Vienna reads to the jury what the numerous blows with the machete did to the 32-year-old victim. “You need a strong stomach for this,” the prosecutor tries to prepare the lay judges for the scale of the violence. Part of the machete even became lodged in the victim’s shin; the second defendant hit the man with such force.
That is why the 22-year-old Algerian is on trial for murder – together with three compatriots. Because on April 20, 2023, four of them allegedly attacked the 32-year-old: “Armed to the teeth, they went to a park between the U6 station Jägergasse and Leipzigerplatz” – there the defendants allegedly literally executed him.
Street vendors allegedly ‘chopped up’ Boss
Why? The Algerians, like the victim, belonged to a North African drug gang; the murdered man was on the highest ranking. “I came to Austria to sell drugs together with the victim,” the second defendant admits. The two even lived together for a while.
But not everything went smoothly: due to disputes over the sale of narcotics and conflicts in their shared homeland, the 32-year-old threw the man, who was ten years younger than him, out of his apartment. “Because of all the insults and humiliations of the victim in recent months, he exploded,” his lawyer explains the incredible act of bloodshed.
Three suspects deny any guilt
Which the other three Algerians want nothing to do with. Lawyer Anita Schattner, who defended the suspect who was fished out of the Danube immediately after the murder: “My client had no problems with the victim. He was in the area, saw the incident and ran away when he saw blue lights. He was afraid of being arrested to await deportation.” And a 29- and 21-year-old boy also said they happened to be at the crime scene.
Prosecutor: “Terrible, brutal and terribly bloody murder”
However, they are accused by the second defendant, who admits to assaulting the victim with a 70cm machete. Therefore, the prosecutor is convinced: “All four suspects planned and committed this terrible, brutal and terribly bloody murder together.”
The trial lasts four days and nine witnesses have been invited. And the forensic-medical report on the 32-year-old’s fatal and, above all, numerous injuries will probably take some time. A ruling is not expected until April 20.
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.
