Accordingly, the girl died after taking eight ecstasy tablets within four hours. The three suspects aged 19 to 23, against whom charges have now been brought, are said to have decided at the time the girl came into the apartment to put her under the influence of heavy drugs and to rape her together.
The 13-year-old first took a tablet with the active ingredient MDA voluntarily. According to the prosecutor, she was then given seven more tablets dissolved in a drink in the apartment of a defendant. When the effect began, the 13-year-old is said to have been abused by all three men. The girl died a violent death as a result of drug poisoning and asphyxiation.
Ten, twenty years or for life?
The suspects must therefore answer on suspicion of rape resulting in death and serious sexual abuse of minors. The oldest suspect – the 23-year-old was 22 at the time of the crime – faces ten to twenty years or life imprisonment. The other two were 18 years old at the time of the crime. They are charged as young adults (between 18 and 21 years old, NB), which means they face a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted. There is no court date yet, the indictment is not yet final.
A suspect claimed to have been only 16 years old at the time of the crime. Because there were doubts about this during the investigation, an expert opinion on the determination of his age was commissioned, which showed that July 14, 2002 was the latest possible fictitious date of birth. Thus, the man who stated that he was born on December 20, 2004 was in fact already 18 years old at the time of the crime. He is said to be 20 years old now.
Met through Instagram
It was also him who met the 13-year-old on Instagram. The suspect is said to have become intrusive about the girl weeks before the crime. However, the 13-year-old did not want this and, according to witnesses, pushed him away. The girl is also said to have had no relationship with him, as he had always claimed before the investigators.
On the night of the crime from June 25 to 26, 2021, the 13-year-old from the Tulln district met the then 18-year-old on the Danube Canal. At around 2 a.m., the group drove with two friends to the apartment of a suspect in Donaustadt, where the girl was given the seven other ecstasy tablets. The 13-year-old was dead around 6 a.m.
Tea, lemon and cold water had no effect
As the girl’s breathing slowed, the men panicked. They tried giving her tea and lemon and showering her with cold water. They were advised by a friend of the 23-year-old, who got the information over the phone. When the 13-year-old stopped moving, they carried her out the door and leaned her against the tree. The 23-year-old immediately packed his things to prepare for his flight abroad. He was caught in a London hotel in late July 2021. The other two called 911 and acted as first responders to deflect suspicion. They were also arrested as suspects.
In the end, a fourth suspect was no longer a suspect. However, he is in prison for other crimes. He is to testify at the trial.
Men deny the allegations
The men deny the allegations against them. One even claims not to have noticed what was happening because he lost consciousness after consuming a mixed drink. According to the public prosecutor’s office, however, numerous traces refute this information.
Two of the suspects have previously appeared in court for drug-related offences. The lawyers Florian Höllwarth and Johannes Öhlböck, who represent the family of the dead, will join the proceedings on behalf of the relatives. In the event of a conviction, Höllwarth and Öhlböck will also seek official liability action against the Republic of Austria. They accuse the republic that the asylum procedures for the suspects took far too long. The men would also have heard better monitored by the authorities.
Source: Nachrichten
