Life Sentence for Styrian Bomb Maker

A 56-year-old Styrian was sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday at the Graz Regional Criminal Court for several bombs he had built and placed at the Jehovah's Witnesses. The IT technician had actually intended to kill his ex-wife, he confessed during the trial. Several other explosive devices were intended as a diversionary tactic. The man will also be admitted to a forensic-therapeutic center. The verdict is not yet legally binding.

Unanimity Among Jurors

He was convicted of the crime of terrorist offenses as well as attempted murder of his ex-wife, daughter, and son. The couple's two children had also been in the mother's car, on which the defendant had mounted a bomb. The jurors unanimously voted for the conviction. However, they removed a whole series of other attempted murders from the verdict that were still listed in the indictment. Originally, the prosecution had assumed more than 30 attempted murders. The defendant requested three days to consider after the verdict was announced.

On the second day of the trial, the investigators initially took the stand. The officer who first questioned the IT technician after his arrest stated that the suspect was cooperative and immediately said, "I wanted to kill my ex-wife." Even before he was questioned in detail, the 56-year-old inquired whether the bomb on his former wife's car had already been found.

Explosive Detection Dogs Did Not React

The officer was also questioned about an investigation mishap, as the bomb on the ex-wife's car was not discovered during the first inspection, and the explosive detection dogs did not react. As a result, the woman and the children of the former couple continued to travel with the bomb on the car for several more weeks. The investigator admitted that the explosive device was mounted on the car for a total of six weeks. The accused, however, stated in response to the judge's inquiry that he did not know that his daughter and son had also been driving in their mother's car: "There was no contact."

After the explosive report and the psychological examination were discussed on Monday, the psychiatric report by Manfred Walzl was on the agenda on Wednesday. He diagnosed a "very severely developed combined personality disorder" with narcissistic traits. Although it is a severe disorder, the defendant's accountability was intact. The 56-year-old clearly told him: "He no longer wanted to be seen as a cash cow by his ex-wife." He had had enough. Walzl described that the Styrian told him: "I achieved what I wanted." The expert could not detect any empathy or compassion. The narcissism of the accused is massively pronounced: "The own ego dominates everything," Walzl continued. "People with this condition are extremely sensitive. If not treated, it turns into narcissistic rage. This poses a great risk of violence," said the expert.

"Could not detect a remorseful confession"

Prosecutor Patricia Weber said in her closing argument: "I could not detect a remorseful confession. We have experienced a cold and empathy-less defendant here." She had never heard him express any regret. "There are many families with divorces and maintenance disputes, but nothing can justify," what the accused did. He not only wanted to kill his ex-wife but also created a "climate of fear" among the Jehovah's Witnesses, said the prosecutor.

The defense attorney for the 56-year-old presented the case differently to the jury: "Is there a terrorist mass murderer sitting there or someone who was driven insane by his ex-wife?" Furthermore, the psychological report found that he is "not a high-risk offender." Why, then, should he have willingly accepted the death of 34 other people alongside his ex-wife's death? That does not add up.

(APA/Red)

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