Shots were fired before the killing: murder or self-defense?

What exactly happened on the night of January 19, 2024 in a house in Obernberg am Inn, Ried district? This question is expected to be answered in the autumn in the jury room of the Ried Regional Court. What is certain is that a 22-year-old killed his father (59) with several knife stabs to the shoulder, stomach and back. The victim was able to escape to the neighbors with life-threatening injuries. In the early hours of the morning, however, the Innviertel resident died in Ried hospital around two hours after the crime.

“The Ried public prosecutor’s office has now filed charges of murder,” said Alois Ebner, spokesman for the Ried public prosecutor’s office, yesterday in response to an inquiry from OÖN. The events before and on the night of the crime will play a key role in the jury trial and, that much is certain, also offer the defense some leeway. The defendant is presumed innocent.

Many conflicts

In the weeks before the crime, there were repeated, physical and verbal arguments between father and son. The police issued a two-week restraining order against the 22-year-old, who has had a drug problem for a long time. Just one day later, on January 10, the 59-year-old let his son, who had apparently been sleeping in the car, back into the house. On January 19, the day of the crime, the 22-year-old was supposed to start an apprenticeship as a baker. However, he apparently felt unable to do so due to drug use. An argument broke out between the son and the drunken father. According to the investigation, a slap in the face from the son was the last straw. The 59-year-old ran to the first floor and got a registered long gun. The man used it to fire from the stairs towards the ground floor. The investigation revealed that a second shot was fired towards the living room. “Then the weapon jammed, whereupon the son lunged at his father and brutally stabbed him with the knife,” prosecutor Ebner explained the incident.

The defense, for its part, will understandably argue that the case was self-defense. The prosecution naturally sees things differently. “There was no longer any attack by the father. The crime was carried out with extreme brutality. Nine knife stabs with considerable use of force, including in the back, give us a clear picture,” said prosecutor Ebner.

As part of the extensive investigation, a 3D crime scene reconstruction was created by an expert. According to a psychiatric report, the defendant was of sound mind when he committed the crime. However, he suffers from a combined personality disorder. Therefore, in addition to being convicted of murder, the 22-year-old also faces being placed in a forensic therapy center.

The 22-year-old has already been convicted several times and has also served time in prison, including for robberies with an axe at gas stations in Obernberg and Bad Füssing.