The trial of the 52-year-old who shot his ex-girlfriend and her mother in Wals near Salzburg in May 2021 will start on July 26. The “Krone” now held an interview with the perpetrator in prison. Which is considered a fire hazard, but itself says it’s “quite harmless”.
Not small, not big. Not ugly, not extremely beautiful. Not fat, not thin. At first glance, Gottfried O. appears to be the inconspicuous “man next door”.
And when he enters a visitor’s room of the Salzburg-Puch prison with a friendly smile and greets them politely, he could almost be mistaken for a prison guard. The reality: another. The 52-year-old is a prisoner; moreover, the one who has committed the greatest crime of all those currently incarcerated here.
Ten shots from a Glock pistol
A crime that makes headlines time and again, even beyond Austria’s borders. Because the victims were an aunt and a cousin of the German hit star Stefan Mross. A crime so absurd, so heinous. Happened on the evening of May 5, 2021 in a noble villa in Wals-Siezenheim.
“Gottfried O. then fired three shots at Ingrid B. (76) from a Glock pistol,” the indictment reads, “then fired seven times at Helga B. (50).” Faced with these facts, the man begins to cry: “To this day I still do not know how I could have done such a terrible thing. Ever since I was a child, I have believed that a person who kills another must have a monster. And then I committed two murders myself. But I’m not a monster, I don’t want to be one.”
After the “double execution” – as the deed is described in the police report – he wanted to commit suicide: “I drove my car to Lake Wolfgang, intending to go into the water and put a bullet through my head. But I spoke to the police on the phone on the way and they managed to find me and prevent my death.”
„krone“: Are you happy with that?
Gottfried O.: I have relatives who love me. It would have been irresponsible if they had killed me. I would have caused them immense suffering by doing that.
Mr. O., your victims also had close relatives, do you think about their suffering?
There is no one in the world who mourns Helga more than I do. I loved her immensely.
Psychiatrist Peter Hofmann, who examined the man on behalf of the justice system, found a serious personality disorder with narcissistic components. As a result, he is incapable of true love and would always put his own needs above other people’s needs.
Gottfried O.: “That’s not true. And I’ve done great things for Helga in particular.”
“I’ve always found her very attractive”
As alleged “evidence” for his statements, the 52-year-old now presents in a dramatic gesture a 19-page “transcript” he wrote in his cell about his relationship with the woman:
The story of the unlikely couple – confusing, disturbing.
Helga B. and Gottfried O. have known each other since the 1990s, both were once regulars at a sauna facility in Freilassing, Germany: “Even then, there were sparks between us. But we were both busy, so it remained with promising looks.”
Anyway, the contact between them was “never lost, we used to call each other on the phone”. While their lives looked completely different. The woman of wealthy background made a career in a bank, remained single, had few partnerships, otherwise she spent a lot of time with her family; her parents, her brother.
The man, a trained salesman, initially worked in various jobs, “my dream would have been to become a police officer”, but he failed the entrance exams, eventually taking up a private detective training course. Most recently, he was guarding shops. And private? Gottfried O. has a daughter from an early, short-term relationship and a son from a long-term relationship that ended in 2016.
How and when did he and Helga B. start dating?
A rumor and a bad suspicion
“In 2019 she called me because a colleague of hers had committed suicide.” There were rumors of an earlier liaison between the man and woman involved: “These stories were completely devoid of any truth. Just like the crazy suspicion later that I pushed her off the roof of a hotel.”
In March 2020 “deeper conversations” between the Walser and the Salzburger: “Her father died as a result of medical malpractice – and I offered to clarify the matter.” An offer that the woman gratefully accepted, her mother and her brother refused.
Video: Police and rescuers at the crime scene
“I spoiled her so much”
“They thought I was an intruder and wanted to keep me away from Helga.” What – initially – did not work: “We started dating more and more”, in the fall of 2020, the two entered into an intimate relationship.
“I called my friend Sleeping Beauty. Because I freed her from her lonely existence, I woke her up. I also gave her flowers, candies and heart-shaped key rings. And I played the magpie game with her, which we both thought was so funny .”
„krone“: The magpie game?
Gottfried O.: The magpie is known for stealing. So when I stayed with Helga, I took things from her villa. And brought it back to her the next time she was there, with a nicer, better version of it.
What were those things?
For example, trinkets or fashion jewelry. Or just once – your camera’s memory card.
And did your partner actually like that?
She was a little upset about the memory card.
Overall, she should have felt more and more harassed by Gottfried O from late 2020 onwards. Gifts left him on her doorstep; via cell messages he sent her in an endless loop; by “surprise visits” from him. In January 2021, she reported stalking, “but only under pressure from her family,” according to the man. And no, of course he never shadowed Helga B. or listened to her phone. As her brother kept claiming.”
The 52-year-old is now reading an email from the woman to him from March 2021, in which she wrote that she didn’t want to hurt him. “It shows she meant me seriously.”
„krone“: And it didn’t occur to you that Helga B. was gently trying to break up?
Gottfried O.: no Because she kept seeing me, albeit rarely.
Was she afraid of you?
She certainly wasn’t afraid of me.
They eventually killed her…
I repeat: I do not understand my horrific actions.
Your memories of the day?
I had asked Helga via WhatsApp at 6pm for a rendezvous in a parking lot. She didn’t get there. So I decided to visit her later. In between, I drank six cans of beer in my despair.
And when the woman left her mother’s house around midnight and went to her neighbor, Gottfried O. was already standing at the entrance of her house. Ingrid B. saw him from a window and then hurried to her daughter. “She yelled at me and hit me. And then I fired,” with the pistol he still carried on duty, “with tunnel vision.”
„krone“: One of your ex-girlfriends recorded that you wanted to kill her too, smother her with a pillow – after she broke up with you once…
Gottfried O.: She lies.
And the pharmacy employee you reported for ongoing persecution in 2018?
Sometimes I gave her flowers and chocolates out of kindness. She must have misunderstood something.
How do you deal with rejections?
Like every person. Better to leave than to be left behind.
Psycho expert Peter Hofmann considers Gottfried O. extremely dangerous when insulted. During his trial, which begins on July 26, the accused faces the harshest possible sentence in Austria: life imprisonment plus incarceration in an institution for mentally disturbed offenders. “I will pay for my deed,” he says, “And I think that’s right.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
