Process After Discovery of Baby's Body in Vienna Hotel
Next Monday, a 21-year-old woman will be tried at the regional court, who gave birth to a healthy boy on December 9, 2024, in a hotel in Vienna-Simmering. She is then alleged to have killed the child while under the influence of the birth process, "by squeezing the boy's neck with both hands," as the prosecution accuses her in the indictment.
Woman Charged with Killing a Child at Birth
The previously unblemished woman does not have to answer for murder before a jury. Based on a psychiatric report obtained, it is conceded that she was in a psychological exceptional state due to the birth process. She was therefore charged with killing a child at birth (§ 79 StGB). Penalty threat: six months to a maximum of five years. The trial before a panel of lay judges is scheduled for only two hours.
The woman may not have been aware of her pregnancy or did not want to acknowledge it. She apparently also hid it from the child's father, or he did not notice the pregnancy. In the hotel where she checked in with her partner, who is four years older, on December 8, a so-called precipitous birth likely occurred. In this process, the child suddenly falls out of the birth canal and onto the floor or into the toilet, which is generally associated with significant health risks for the newborn and the mother.
Cleaning Staff Allegedly Entered Hotel Room
In this specific case, the mother and child survived the precipitous birth. The cause of such an event can be a suppressed or hidden pregnancy or confusing labor pains with the urge to defecate. Still on the toilet, the 21-year-old is said to have killed the boy and then wiped up the blood herself with bath and hand towels - almost being caught by the cleaning staff in the process.
A cleaning staff member is said to have entered the hotel room to tidy up. In doing so, she also opened the unlocked bathroom door and noticed the 21-year-old with blood-soaked cloths in her hand, to which the accused allegedly explained that she was experiencing heavy menstrual bleeding. The cleaning staff handed the woman a garbage bag and suggested she could store the cloths there.
The accused is said to have subsequently wrapped the dead baby in the plastic bag and placed it in a trash container, which, according to the prosecution, desecrated the corpse. She is therefore also charged with disturbing the peace of the dead (§ 190 StGB).
Vienna Emergency Services Alerted Due to Heavy Postpartum Bleeding
Following the incriminated actions, Vienna emergency services were alerted due to the 21-year-old's heavy postpartum bleeding. The woman was taken to a hospital. There, doctors realized that she must have given birth to a child shortly before, which the 21-year-old initially vehemently denied.
Nevertheless, the hospital staff informed the hotel to search for a newborn. The next day, the baby's body was discovered in the accommodation facility. Both parents were initially arrested on suspicion of murder. However, the 25-year-old man was soon able to convince the law enforcement authorities that he had not noticed his partner's pregnancy and the birth process. The investigation against him was dropped.
In January, the mother suspected of murder was finally released from pre-trial detention. The psychiatric report commissioned by the prosecution exonerated her. It is expected that the 21-year-old will make a comprehensive confession in the upcoming trial. In her first police interrogation, the woman stated that she had "grabbed the child by the neck."
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.