13 years in prison after a knife attack in Vorarlberg

The jury found it proven that the North Macedonian tried to kill a fellow countryman of the same age with a knife after an argument in Feldkirch in the fall of the previous year. The judgment is not final.

Arguments about money escalated

The crime occurred in the early afternoon of September 23, 2023 in downtown Feldkirchen. According to the victim, the background to the attack was a dispute over money. According to the victim’s statement, the previously blameless perpetrator wanted the 500 euros he had borrowed back and put pressure on his compatriot in phone calls. According to the prosecution, he in turn threatened to pass on his knowledge of the other’s drug dealings to the police. Threats, insults and insults followed.

On the day of the crime, the two men met after a meeting on Feldkirch’s Jahnplatz. The defendant is said to have pulled out the knife with a blade length of 6.5 centimeters and stabbed him several times. The victim was able to fend off most of the stabs, but suffered numerous cuts and a stab each in the chest and in the right shoulder.

500 euros partial compensation

The attacker ran after the perpetrator, covered in blood, before he collapsed. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the man only survived through luck, and the prosecution therefore assumed he intended to kill.

The suspect fled on foot and was arrested by the police a short time later not far from the crime scene. He had pleaded not guilty at trial. According to the North Macedonian, his counterpart attacked him with punches and he only defended himself. However, the eight jurors did not follow this version and unanimously found attempted murder. The victim was awarded 500 euros in partial compensation. The judgment is not final.