Investigation ended

Murder charge against father in Leon case (6)

Investigators at the crime scene at the time

(Bild: ZOOM Tirol)

A bombshell in the Leon case: the Innsbruck public prosecutor's office has concluded the investigation into the death of the six-year-old boy who drowned in the Kitzbüheler Ache in St. Johann in Tyrol in August 2022. The suspected father (39), who is being held in custody, has been charged with the crime of murder and the offense of faking a punishable act.

"The public prosecutor's office accuses the man - for whom the presumption of innocence applies - of deliberately killing his six-year-old son, who had suffered from syngap syndrome since birth, by throwing or pushing him into the Kitzbüheler Ache, which was flooding at the time, which is why the child drowned and could only be recovered dead on a sandbank around 1500 meters downstream," the public prosecutor's office said in a press release.

Leon was sitting in his baby carriage during the walk, which was found at the scene.

(Bild: ZOOM Tirol)

Father allegedly faked robbery
The judiciary also assumes that the accused then "faked a robbery by hitting himself on the back of the head with a bottle he had brought to the crime scene". The accused continues to deny this accusation, it was said.

The suspect is said to have thrown his son into the Kitzbüheler Ache.

(Bild: zoom.tirol, Krone KREATIV)

Originally, the case, which also made international headlines, was assumed to be a robbery of the father. The man is said to have been knocked unconscious with a bottle and robbed by a stranger on a promenade next to the Ache that night. The six-year-old then allegedly got out of the baby carriage on his own, fell into the Ache and drowned there.

The indictment is essentially based on the fact that, according to the results of the investigation, the public prosecutor's office assumes that the accused tried to fake a robbery, which in turn can only be explained by the fact that the accused wanted to conceal his own crime and is himself responsible for the child's death.

Staatsanwaltschaft Innsbruck

"The indictment is essentially based on the fact that, according to the results of the investigation, the public prosecutor's office assumes that the accused tried to fake a robbery," it continued. And this in turn could only be explained by the fact "that the accused wanted to conceal his own crime and was himself responsible for the death of the child".

More than 60 people questioned, 100 DNA traces analyzed
More than 60 people were questioned in the course of the investigation. "Several expert opinions were obtained from the fields of forensic medicine, neurology, psychiatry and data forensics. Around 100 DNA traces were analyzed and compared with around 50 different people. The footage from several surveillance cameras was viewed and analyzed. Several data carriers such as cell phones and laptops were examined, in some cases by IT experts. Telephone data was evaluated and it was checked which cell phones were logged on in the area of the crime scene at the time of the crime," the public prosecutor's office continued.

After initially investigating unknown persons on suspicion of robbery, the current defendant was finally arrested at the end of February 2023 by order of the public prosecutor's office. He has been in custody since then.

Appeals can still be lodged against the charges
The father and his defense now have two weeks to object to the charges. A date for the trial before the jury court has therefore not yet been set.

As recently as February, the defense had spoken of "investigative mishaps" and filed a motion for release from custody. The application was promptly rejected by the magistrate.