27-Year-Old Beaten to Death in Vienna-Favoriten: Video of Another Victim Emerges

The Regional Court for Criminal Matters has imposed pre-trial detention on a 21-year-old man accused of beating a 27-year-old man to death on the night of May 15 in Grenzackerstraße in Vienna-Favoriten. The reason for detention was deemed to be the risk of committing further offenses, court spokeswoman Christina Salzborn announced at noon on Wednesday in response to an APA inquiry. The man made no statements before the investigating judge and exercised his right to remain silent.

Further incriminating video material surfaced: Victim still unknown

The public prosecutor's office is investigating the 21-year-old for murder and additionally for intentional grievous bodily harm, as spokeswoman Nina Bussek explained. On the mobile phone of the murder suspect, in addition to the video that the 21-year-old had made of the ultimately fatal act of violence, another video was discovered. In this video, the 21-year-old is seen severely beating a currently unknown man. "We do not yet know this victim," said public prosecutor's office spokeswoman Bussek. Investigations to determine the identity of the affected person are ongoing.

Suspect denies intent to kill in Vienna-Favoriten murder case

Regarding the homicide, the public prosecutor's office assumes that the 21-year-old acted with at least conditional intent to kill. The 27-year-old was found on the sidewalk with life-threatening head injuries on the night of May 15 and died two days later in a hospital. The suspect was arrested last Saturday. He admitted to the actions in an initial interrogation but denied the intent to kill.

The accused claimed he felt threatened by the other man, who happened to be walking behind him in the Grenzackerstraße - Ettenreichgasse area. He therefore turned around and threw the stranger against a fence. Afterward, he allegedly delivered numerous punches and powerful kicks to the head after the 27-year-old had fallen to the ground. Parts of the violent excess were filmed by the 21-year-old with his mobile phone, providing the law enforcement authorities with significant evidence.

Victim's injuries do not indicate self-defense

The autopsy revealed that the 27-year-old had exclusively head injuries. The rest of the body was practically unscathed. The suspect's version, which leans towards self-defense - his lawyer additionally suggested alcohol as a possible trigger for the act in the current online edition of the "Kronen Zeitung" - does not seem plausible to the investigators. The 27-year-old still lived at home, and his mother described him as rather introverted and extremely good-natured. The 21-year-old, on the other hand, was already known to the police in connection with two other violent cases.

However, the murder suspect has no previous criminal convictions. He has been unblemished so far, according to the Regional Court in response to the APA.

(APA/Red)

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