A 49-year-old who killed a neighboring couple with an iron bar in Leonding (Upper Austria) in 2016 was sentenced to twelve months in prison in Krems on Tuesday, three of which were unconditional, for attempting to resist state authority. According to the court, the conviction is not final.
The now divorced father of the family should have been transferred to another department in the Stein correctional institution on June 2, 2023, but may have refused. Lawyer Andreas Mauhart points out that his client was not exactly enthusiastic about the new accommodation after a number of previous transfers, because the man, as a non-smoker, did not want to be in a smoking cell.
“Tearing bricks out of the wall”
According to the Krems Public Prosecutor’s Office, the suspect then told a prison guard: “I am not going to a common area. You can do whatever you want there.” The 49-year-old is further quoted in the criminal complaint as follows: “If I have to go in there now, I will use force against whoever opens the cell door and I will also remove the stones from the wall if necessary, to get out of the detention room.” The statement was interpreted by the Public Prosecution Service as a threat of violence and an attempt to prevent the officer from carrying out his official duties.
Don’t judge definitively
The 49-year-old was accused of statements made by two prison guards on the first day of the trial on January 30. More witnesses were heard on February 16, which yielded little. On Tuesday, the man was found guilty and was also given probation. Because neither the public prosecutor nor the suspect have made a statement, the verdict is not final.
Neighborhood dispute for years
The bloody act in Leonding, for which the 49-year-old is serving a prison sentence, caused a stir in 2016. This was preceded by years of conflict between neighbors. When the man saw the retired couple on the street in February, he kicked them down, then picked up a sharp iron bar at a nearby construction site and stabbed them several times. The 74-year-old and his 72-year-old wife died in hospital.
He was due to be released in August
The Upper Austrian was sentenced to seven years in prison for manslaughter by the Linz Regional Court. The sentence was increased to nine years by the Linz High Court on appeal. According to lawyer Mauhart, the 49-year-old first ended up in Garsten prison and then via Linz to Stein prison. As a result of compensation, the convicted man subsequently received a reduced sentence and was expected to be released in August.
Source: Krone
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