Neighboring couple killed in Leonding: 49-year-old sentenced again

According to the court, the guilty verdict is not final. The background for the new trial against the Upper Austrian who did not confess was an incident in the prison (JA) Stein that dated back to the previous year.

The now divorced father of the family should have been transferred to another department in Stein correctional institution on June 2, 2023, but may have refused. Defense attorney Andreas Mauhart pointed out that after a number of previous transfers, his client was not particularly enthusiastic about the new accommodation because, as a non-smoker, the man did not want to be in a smoking cell.

• also read: After 8 years behind bars: “He hasn’t gotten a single day off yet”

According to the Krems public prosecutor’s office, the accused subsequently said to a prison guard: “I’m not going into a common room. You can do whatever you want there.” The 49-year-old is further quoted in the criminal complaint as follows: “If I have to go in there now, I will use force against whoever opens the cell door and I will also tear the bricks out of the wall if necessary to get out of the cell get.” The statement was interpreted by the prosecution as a threat of violence and an attempt to prevent the officer from carrying out his official duties.

• From the archive: Stunning after the attack in Leonding

The 49-year-old was incriminated by the statements of two prison guards on the first day of the trial on January 30th. On February 16, more witnesses were interviewed, which yielded little. On Tuesday the man was found guilty and also ordered probation. Because both the public prosecutor and the defendant made no statement, the verdict is not final.

Bloody crime in 2016

The bloody act in Leonding, for which the 49-year-old is serving time in prison, caused a stir in 2016. This was preceded by a years-long neighborhood dispute. When the man saw the retired couple on the street in February, he kicked them down, then grabbed a sharp iron rod at a nearby construction site and stabbed them several times. The 74-year-old and his 72-year-old wife died in the hospital.

The Upper Austrian was sentenced to seven years in prison by the Linz regional court for manslaughter. The sentence was increased to nine years by the Linz Higher Regional Court in an appeal hearing. According to defense attorney Mauhart, the 49-year-old first ended up in the Garsten prison and then via Linz in the Stein prison. As a result of a compensation payment, the convicted man received a subsequent reduction in his sentence and the man was set to be released in August.

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