Murder Charge Against 21-Year-Old: Woman Allegedly Beaten to Death in Drug Frenzy in Vienna

Tourists who had rented an apartment across the street notified the police because they heard a loud altercation in the hallway and observed through the peephole how the accused knocked the woman to the ground and dragged her into the apartment.

When police officers arrived at the apartment complex in the Green Prater on the evening of February 18, 2025, it was already too late to help the 47-year-old. Upon the officers' knocking, the 21-year-old opened the apartment door, with his arms and parts of his clothing smeared with blood. The woman's body was lying on the floor. The 21-year-old was arrested without resistance and initially claimed he had defended himself against the woman's attacks.

Victim in Vienna died from severe facial skull trauma

These claims were likely defensive. During the investigation, it was revealed that several people had heard the 47-year-old's cries for help. According to the indictment, the 21-year-old allegedly repeatedly punched and kicked her, causing the victim to suffer numerous fractures in the skull and facial area. The woman died as a result of severe facial skull trauma.

The whole situation is particularly sensitive: The accused had been admitted as an inpatient in a psychiatric hospital because he had been struggling with a mental disorder in connection with a pronounced substance addiction for some time. However, on the day of the crime, he had been granted leave from 12:00 to 17:00. He did not return from this leave.

Leave used to meet with victim

Instead, he met with the 47-year-old, whom he had met in 2022 in a psychiatric ward where both were being treated. The two reportedly had an intermittent intimate relationship but not a fixed relationship. Before the crime, they are believed to have consumed drugs together.

The public prosecutor's office has requested not only the conviction of the young man but also his placement in a forensic therapeutic center according to § 21 paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code. According to a psychiatric report, the 21-year-old was accountable at the time of the crime but acted under the significant influence of a severe and persistent mental disorder when he assaulted his acquaintance. As stated in the report, due to the nature of the accused, his condition, and the nature of the crime, there is a high probability that he will commit another punishable act with serious consequences under the significant influence of his mental disorder in the foreseeable future if no accompanying therapy is provided. Such therapy is legally guaranteed in the execution of measures.

(APA/Red)

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