Trial for Attempted Murder in Vienna's Fritz-Imhoff-Park Postponed

The 54-year-old defendant with 31 previous convictions appeared experienced in court: "I do not plead guilty to the intent to kill." He admitted to stabbing a 40-year-old in the neck with a bread knife, but claimed it was in self-defense. Defense attorney Elmar Kresbach referred to it as an "act of rage".

Attempted Murder Trial: Defendant was stabbed in the stomach with a knife

The defendant had met with several acquaintances in the park on June 7, 2024, to consume alcohol and drugs, as he told the jurors: "I was on the street, there was no one there for me, I was not doing well." He had spent 28 years of his life in various prisons, and after his release from his last sentence, he had received neither the promised community housing nor any support. That's when he fell back into the "drug scene".

As he and his acquaintances were consuming cheap wine, Jägermeister, and cocaine, the 40-year-old approached the group and "asked for drugs," the defendant described: "He had such big eyes and was very aggressive." Therefore, he sent him away. This made the 40-year-old even more aggressive. Suddenly, he stabbed him in the stomach with a tiny knife attached to a keychain: "That's when it escalated. I had to stand up and do something."

Attempted Murder Trial Adjourned for Witness Testimonies

According to the indictment, the defendant jumped up, grabbed a bread knife, and stabbed his opponent in the neck. However, not very forcefully, as the forensic medical report showed. The blade penetrated the other man's body two centimeters deep, there was no danger to life at any time.

His client is "no altar boy, no saint," admitted defense attorney Kresbach. But one should not have to put up with being stabbed in the stomach with a sharp object. The defendant had not thought about the consequences of his knife stab. "Nobody thought about anything there at the scene. They were all out of it," Kresbach concluded. As several people summoned for witness testimony did not appear, the trial was adjourned.

(APA/Red)

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