For years, a 63-year-old cheated on his younger wife with wealth and a life of luxury. The two were faced with a large mountain of debt. That is why Peter M. made the cruel decision to kill himself, his wife and their dog on October 5, 2023. While the 35-year-old did not survive after a minute of agony, her husband is now in court.
“I’ve seen many crime scenes in my career as a prosecutor, but the image of that dead woman in that room… That slaughtered woman. “It has been burned into my head since October 5,” the opening words of the prosecutor make clear what terrible scenes the police must have seen on the day of the crime last year. When Peter M. murdered his wife with a Stanley knife and a kitchen knife.
The suspect was confronted with an enormous mountain of debt
Dressed in a blue suit, the 63-year-old now sits before the jury at the Vienna Regional Court. “That was not his plan,” explains his lawyer Ernst Schillhammer. Because his client not only wanted to kill his 35-year-old wife and their dog, but also his own life. The reason: he had debts of 400,000 euros and had only moved to a new single-family home in Vienna-Liesing a month before the bloody crime. “He knew he wouldn’t be able to pay back his debts. “He didn’t know how to continue living,” the prosecutor said.
“I always pretended that I was doing well financially. “That I can afford nice things, great trips,” says Peter M. He showered his younger wife with jewelry, clothes and other gifts, ultimately making her dream of owning her own home come true. The 64-year-old had been struggling with a mountain of debt for years and received a disability pension after being diagnosed with cancer. He borrowed money wherever he could, or cheated with false promises. “I ended up playing the lottery with large sums of money” – but that didn’t work out…
Throat slit in front of the mirror
So he made the decision a few days before October 5: “He wanted to commit suicide. But he didn’t want to go alone.” While his wife was in the kitchen preparing food for the coming days, the suspect wrote farewell letters to his son, brother and a good friend in the basement. When the 35-year-old finally made her appearance in the dressing room -up, Peter M. slit her throat from behind with a Stanley knife. “She collapsed in my arms and I put her on the ground,” the 63-year-old said in court.
He then tried to injure his neck with the knife and lost consciousness. “I woke up and heard her wheezing.” Ultimately, the suspect rammed a kitchen knife into his wife’s back. “At that moment the rattling stopped.”
The four-legged friend and the suspect survived
Meanwhile, he tried to stab the dog in the neck with the same knife. “There were bloody paw prints all over the house,” the prosecutor recalled of the local inspection. The four-legged friend managed to break free from the suspect’s grasp and survived the attack.
Exactly, like Peter M. himself. “He injured himself, but only superficially,” the prosecutor said. Even lawyer Ernst Schillhammer has no understanding for his client’s actions: “I can’t imagine why someone would do that. To go beyond that level, to kill a loved one.” Still, he asks the jury to take the emotions out of their decision. A decision is expected to be made by the end of the afternoon.
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.
