Just last week in Graz, a pharmacist shot his mother and brother and then committed suicide. On the night of Monday there was another act of violence in the Styrian capital. The body of a 41-year-old woman was found in a messie apartment on Waagner-Biro-Strasse.
On Monday morning, a neighbor raised the alarm: After noticing the smell of smoke from the unlocked apartment next door, he checked and discovered the body. At this point it was no longer burning, the fire had gone out by itself. Only soot and the smell of smoke pointed to the fire.
The fire investigators from the State Criminal Police Office began their investigations – and quickly determined that the woman had probably died as a result of external influence. The autopsy in the afternoon confirmed massive violence. It wasn’t the smoke that caused the death, but multiple stab wounds.
As a result, the murder investigators and forensic officers also went to the crime scene. The murder weapon was found in the fourth floor apartment. For reasons of criminal tactics, the police did not want to disclose which piercing tool it was. The 41-year-old was unemployed and an alcoholic. She lived in the one-room apartment, which resembled a so-called messie apartment. Precisely for this reason securing evidence was difficult. “The room was full of rubbish and other stuff,” says one officer, describing the crime scene. The murder investigators have targeted the Graz train station milieu. There are always drug addicts, alcoholics and the homeless in the area around the main train station.
The victim also moved in these circles. In the evening, the criminalists were already pursuing a promising lead: they had come across a suspect during their research in the station environment. The man was taken into custody and questioned until late in the evening. At the time of going to press, however, the results were still pending.
Source: Nachrichten
