After Knife Attack: Volunteers Accompany Cemetery Visitors in Graz

"Several people have called me and expressed their concerns." Now, at least until Easter, partly voluntary members of the parish will accompany people to the graves every Friday at 3:00 PM.

"Anyone who wants to help is welcome to join," said the pastor in an interview with the APA. Anyone can participate as a companion. Schrei has also informed the police about this initiative. They are still busy with the investigation but have not yet found any concrete leads on the perpetrator. The victim has been questioned once, but the information provided has so far yielded few new insights. The 73-year-old is to be questioned again, but only when her health condition has further improved.

Pastor Schrei said that he visited the elderly woman in the hospital a few days ago. "She recognized me immediately." He had buried her husband at the time, so he knows her. He himself is not worried about his safety after the knife attack, but he understands certain fears of the grave visitors. The St. Leonhard Cemetery is about 4.5 hectares in size, contains around 8,500 graves, and is divided into three sections, each separated by walls. Since the cemetery is not on a slope but relatively flat, it is difficult to oversee, the pastor admitted.

73-Year-Old in Graz Was Attacked at Her Husband's Grave at the End of January

The 73-year-old was attacked from behind by an unknown person at her husband's grave on the afternoon of January 29, a Wednesday, and was seriously injured with a Stanley knife. Other cemetery visitors found the woman and alerted the rescue services. At that time, the pensioner was still able to state that she had been attacked by a man. She was taken to the nearby LKH University Hospital and received intensive medical care.

The State Criminal Police Office is still asking possible witnesses for assistance. This also concerns observations at and around the cemetery, even before the crime, such as whether a man behaved suspiciously there. Witnesses are asked to contact the LKA at the phone number 059133 60 3333 or the emergency number 133.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.