Attempted Murder in Knife Fight at Vienna's Sigmund Freud Park: "Santa Claus" on Trial

The Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office has filed charges of attempted murder at the Regional Court for Criminal Matters against a 60-year-old man, who is referred to as "Santa Claus" in the Josefstadt prison due to his appearance - including a distinctive white beard. The man has been in pre-trial detention there for almost six months because he had seriously injured a 54-year-old with a knife in Sigmund Freud Park in Vienna-Alsergrund.

Viennese "Santa Claus" Charged with Attempted Murder

The defendant, represented by Vienna lawyer Anita Schattner, denies the intent to kill. In contrast, the prosecutor believes that the 60-year-old at least seriously considered and accepted the possibility of killing the attacked person "by the targeted knife stabs in the upper body. In particular, he was aware that five such stabs, if carried out with a knife with a blade length of about seven centimeters, can lead to death," as stated in the indictment.

The indictment is already legally binding and a trial date has been set. The "Santa Claus" will have to answer to a jury on February 24. In the event of a conviction in accordance with the indictment, he faces at least ten, at worst 20 years or even life imprisonment.

60-Year-Old Voluntarily Surrendered After Manhunt

The 60-year-old voluntarily turned himself in at a police station at the end of August, after a manhunt had been launched for him with a photo taken by a witness shortly before the crime in Sigmund Freud Park. Due to his striking appearance, several people - including his former boss and his brother - identified him.

The defendant had met a friend in front of the Votivkirche on July 29, 2024, where the two indulged in alcohol. As the night progressed, they danced to the music played by a group of young men and women who were lying in the meadow and celebrating. In the course of this, according to the public prosecutor's office - the indictment is available to the APA - a brawl broke out between the defendant and the later victim "for reasons still unclear". The "Santa Claus" eventually pushed the 54-year-old into a bush. When the latter got up and approached the defendant, he pulled out a folding knife, grabbed the 54-year-old with his left hand on the right shoulder "and made five targeted stabbing movements with the knife against the man's upper body front. After the fifth stab, he let go of him and ran away. On his escape route, he buried the knife in a planter", can be read in the indictment about the course of the crime.

Severely Injured Victim Survived Thanks to a Functioning Rescue Chain

The blade penetrated the stabbed man twice in the left chest, opening the chest and reaching a channel up to the fat tissue in front of the heart, but the heart itself remained uninjured. One stab went into the right chest, also opening the chest cavity and causing a pneumothorax - a collection of air between the lung and chest wall. Two more stabs opened the abdominal cavity, penetrated the abdominal muscles and reached the large intestine loop, which remained undamaged.

A young doctor, who happened to be nearby, provided first aid to the critically injured man. Thanks to the functioning rescue chain and an emergency operation performed in a nearby hospital, the man survived.

Defendant Claims Self-Defense

The defendant has justified himself with self-defense during the investigation. During the brawl, he initially hit "foam-braked" and only "reacted" to the younger opponent, he claims. Then, however, his strength had left him. Out of fear of being overwhelmed by the opponent, he remembered his knife, which he always carried with him as a former carriage driver. He held the weapon against the opponent, who continued to hit him regardless. That's when he stabbed him.

(APA/Red)

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