A 47-year-old, previously blameless glazier was not legally sentenced to twelve years in prison for attempted murder. On December 15, 2023, he stabbed a 44-year-old work colleague nine times in the chest, stomach and side of the restaurant.
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The blade opened the chest cavity, and thanks to fortunate circumstances and quick emergency medical help, the victim survived. The defendant, who denied the intention to kill, was puzzled during the trial as to how this could have happened. “These were my work colleagues who I really love,” he said at the beginning of the hearing. Until then, he had “never attacked anyone in my life. People love me, I love people.” And further: “That should never have happened in my life, dude!”
“A lot of alcohol” was consumed
The public prosecutor reported that there was “plenty of alcohol” at the company Christmas party. The defendant was particularly drunk and his colleagues ultimately “found him annoying.” First, the junior boss gave the 47-year-old a slight push in front of the restaurant to get him to go home. On top of that, the later victim also persuaded the man, then turned around, “and then the defendant pulled out a knife and stabbed him nine times,” said the public prosecutor.
The defendant claimed that he was physically attacked by his colleagues in the restaurant. Everyone was drunk: “After dinner, liters of vodka came to the table.” After several beers, he single-handedly drank an entire bottle of vodka: “Last year I didn’t go to the Christmas party because I didn’t want to drink. This year I felt safe. This is my work family.” He was then suddenly “attacked from behind”. He no longer knows what happened after that. “He has a broken film, partial memories. He can’t explain it. He wanted it to stop, the attacks against him,” said the defense attorney. Her client is a “fundamentally peaceful, helpful person.”
Murder weapon disposed of on the way home
After the crime, the 47-year-old went home without caring about the injured man. He disposed of the murder weapon on the way home; it was never recovered. According to the forensic report, it was a sharp knife with a blade at least seven centimeters long. “We are not dealing with a murderer here,” the defense attorney assured, “it was an extremely excessive defensive reaction, which he deeply regrets.”
The psychiatric expert who was commissioned to examine the defendant’s sanity explained to the jury that there was no history of serious mental disorders. On the day of the incident, there was considerable intoxication involved, but there was no laboratory evidence of how much alcohol the man had actually consumed. His conclusion: Alcoholism significantly reduced the defendant’s ability to control himself, but did not completely eliminate it.
According to the boss, the defendant was loud and drunk, but inconspicuous
The company boss testified as a witness that the defendant was a bit loud and drunk at the party, but otherwise inconspicuous. He wouldn’t have noticed an argument or even a fight. This was also confirmed by the other witnesses invited, including the victim, a 44-year-old Pole. The company boss’s son remembered a discussion he had with the defendant at the party: “But we didn’t argue, there were no fights.”
The victim also stated that he had consumed a lot of alcohol at the party. According to the coroner, his blood alcohol level was 2.2 per mille. After the celebration, he accompanied the defendant towards the subway and slightly pushed him away at the zebra crossing. He then attacked him with a knife: “After the first stab I couldn’t breathe well anymore, I can’t remember the other stabs.” There was never any argument between him and the defendant.
According to the coroner’s statement, the victim suffered seven stab wounds and two lacerations. The 44-year-old was taken to hospital in a stable condition and his life was not in danger. A guest who happened to be in the restaurant that evening and is a paramedic by profession gave the 44-year-old first aid after his injuries. He stated that shortly before the crime he saw a scuffle between four people – including the victim and the defendant – in front of the bar. The defendant shouted at his attackers to leave him alone.
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Source: Nachrichten
