A man (56) was sentenced to twelve years in prison for attempted murder by the Klagenfurt Regional Court on Monday. The man was accused of setting fire to an apartment building in Villach last summer to kill his ex-girlfriend and her new partner. The verdict is not legally binding for the time being.
At the start of the trial in March, the Romanian only pleaded guilty before the jury presided over by Judge Bernd Lutschounig. He caused the fire, but had no intention of killing anyone. He just wanted to scare his ex-partner’s new boyfriend. No one was injured in the fire because it was discovered in time.
Committed three crimes at once
After less than an hour of deliberation, the jury unanimously decided, by a vote of eight to zero, that the crime was attempted murder. Judge Lutschounig justified the sentence by saying that although it was only an attempt, the combination of three crimes (two attempted murder and one arson) aggravated the sentence. The suspect asked for three days to think about it and the public prosecutor appealed against the sentence.
Threatened the new friend with murder
On the evening of August 8, 2023, the 56-year-old visited his ex-partner, who was now living with her new partner, at the apartment. An argument broke out and the woman’s new partner also said that the Romanian then threatened murder over the telephone.
Wanted to scare his “ex”.
The next night, the 56-year-old bought gasoline at a gas station, prosecutor Christian Pirker said. He took a taxi to the apartment building and distributed the gasoline in front of his rival’s apartment. The fire then broke out – as the defendant stated, the fumes were “accidentally” ignited by his cigarette. He just wanted to scare his ex’s new boyfriend with the gas.
It was only thanks to one neighbor that the fire no longer started: he noticed the fire when he wanted to go to the toilet shortly before four in the morning. Had it been just a few minutes later, the entire building would have been completely engulfed in flames, an expert told the court.
Ex-girlfriend doesn’t want to testify
The defense criticized the fact that the man’s ex-partner, despite being summoned several times, did not want to testify in court. The fact that she was afraid of the defendant was a ‘protective claim’ because, contrary to her statements, she had good contact with the Romanian.
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.
