Body parts in canal

After “piece murder”: suspect remains in custody

Peyman N. (45) was beaten to death, dismembered and dumped. An angler found his body parts in the Marchfeld Canal.

(Bild: Leserreporter, Krone KREATIV)

The pre-trial detention of the suspect in the case of the body found in the Marchfeld Canal in mid-January has now been extended by four weeks. The court spokeswoman Christina Salzborn announced on Friday that an examination of the evidence had been dispensed with. The 38-year-old Iranian, who has already made a comprehensive confession, will remain in custody until March 18.

The suspect is said to have killed his 45-year-old compatriot in November for a financial motive. The victim had been reported missing by his ex-wife and family on November 15 of last year. The man had disappeared without a trace without any explanation. In mid-January, an angler fished a severed left foot out of the Marchfeld Canal between Schwarzlackenau and Strebersdorf and alerted the police.

Identity of the victim quickly established
After the discovery of further body parts and a DNA comparison, the identity of the 45-year-old was established relatively quickly.

Investigations soon focused on the 38-year-old Iranian, who was a friend of the victim and had lived in Vienna-Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus for years, due to several suspicious facts. The man was under surveillance and arrested at the end of January when he apparently tried to flee.

Hit on the head with a sledgehammer
During his interrogation, the suspect stated that the 45-year-old had allegedly embezzled 9,000 euros from him. During an argument on the subject, a fight is said to have broken out, as a result of which the younger man pulled out a sledgehammer that he had bought the day before and brought with him to the argument and hit the 45-year-old on the head several times.

The victim was hit on the head several times with the hammer. It is not yet clear how the Iranian finally cut up the body and disposed of it in the canal.

(Bild: Klemens Groh, APA/Eva Manhart, Krone KREATIV)

How the suspect finally cut up the man's body and disposed of it in the Marchfeld Canal is still under investigation.

Next detention hearing on March 18
The suspect has been remanded in custody due to risk of absconding, risk of concealment and risk of committing the crime. The next pre-trial detention hearing is scheduled for March 18.