Viennese machete murder trial: “There can be no blood feud here!”

In her closing statement at the state court on Tuesday, she called for punishments “at the upper end” and life imprisonment for the main defendant: “Blood revenge cannot be allowed here!” The 22-year-old main defendant asked for a lenient sentence, and the legal representatives of the co-defendants asked for acquittal.

• More on the topic: Suspect in machete murder: “Just happened to be at the crime scene”

“Then there is only one thing: blood revenge”

“I don’t want to tell you this whole horror story again,” the prosecutor began her closing speech. The defendants were “like brothers” and therefore jointly decided to kill 31-year-old Djafaar H. on April 20, 2023, Helm summarized: “If the honor or respect of just one of the brothers is violated, there is “It’s just one thing: blood revenge. That’s exactly what they did.” The four Algerians “lured the victim into an ambush” and attacked him with a machete and knives until the 31-year-old “lay in pieces.”

The versions that the defendants presented in court were absolutely unbelievable, the prosecutor emphasized: “I have never been lied to so much and so badly in my career. It hurt me at times. All four cheekily lied to us and for Tried to sell stupidly.”

• Viennese machete murder trial: “Victim left a trail of blood through the entire park”

The main defendant admitted during the jury trial that he hit the victim twice in the head with a machete – but only after he had been attacked by his opponent. The co-defendants had done nothing, the 22-year-old assured. Djafaar H. “insulted, humiliated, insulted” her client, said Elisabeth Mace, the 22-year-old’s legal representative, at the end of the proceedings. Her client was “completely beside himself and very tense.” The evidence showed “that the victim was a dangerous criminal and part of a criminal organization that sold drugs from Algeria,” the lawyer noted.

A variety of injuries caused by “sharp blades and great force”

Coroner Wolfgang Denk had previously explained how 31-year-old Djafaar H. was brought to death in Vienna on April 20, 2023. The expert explained that the man suffered “a variety of injuries” that were inflicted “with sharp blades” and “with great force.” The minor defensive injuries indicate an “overwhelming attack” by several people.

According to the indictment, Djafaar H., who comes from Algeria and is said to have run drug deals in Vienna, was deliberately lured into a trap by the four defendants, aged 21, 22, 25 and 29, after previous arguments and taken to the subway station. Jägerstrasse station killed with extreme violence. The murder weapons were a 70 centimeter long machete and several knives. The defendants had known the victim for a long time. All five come or came from Constantine, the third largest city in Algeria with almost 450,000 inhabitants, and had left their homeland for Europe due to a lack of professional prospects. According to the indictment, Djafaar H. was involved in a cross-border narcotics organization; three defendants are said to have worked for him in Vienna as so-called street runners and sold drugs. There are said to have been discrepancies in the billing, the accused – especially the 22-year-old – felt cheated and, according to the indictment, “agreed to finally solve their problems with Djafaar H. by force.”

While the second defendant admitted at the beginning of the three-day trial that he had hit the 31-year-old in the head with a machete, the three other defendants denied having been involved in the incriminated acts. Forensic doctor Denk contradicted this when he remarked in the large jury courtroom that the injury pattern indicated that there was more than just one attacking person.

• On the topic: According to the prosecution, the victim was literally executed

The victim could still be resuscitated

According to the report, Djafaar H. ended up lying on his stomach after he was brought to the ground. The murder weapons were then used against his extremities, rendering him unable to move. Seven slash wounds were inflicted on his legs, which almost completely destroyed the muscles and severed both fibulae. Further blows were delivered to the left lower leg, left hand and head, causing two gaping wounds in the forehead area and a fractured skull.

Amazingly, the rescue workers were able to resuscitate the seriously injured man after arriving at the scene. The man, who, according to Denk, was in an “extensive pool of blood,” was then taken to a clinic, where he received emergency medical care and then transferred to another clinic that specialized in vascular surgery, where he also received medication to support the circulation. The doctors fought for the 31-year-old’s life for twelve hours – he even had a broken blade removed from his calf – before the man died of cardiovascular failure as a result of the massive blood loss he suffered.

The jury retired shortly after 1 p.m. to deliberate on the question of guilt. The verdicts are expected in the late afternoon.

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