Only scuffle

Knife murder in Algeria keeps Graz court busy

The Algerian denied the crime until the end.

(Bild: Sepp Pail)

A trial concerning a brutal knife murder in Algeria has been before the Graz Regional Criminal Court since 2022. The accused is a 27-year-old Algerian who fled to Austria immediately after the bloody deed. He was acquitted of the murder charge on Wednesday. After five years in custody, he was allowed to leave.

In December 2019, a 16.5 centimeter (!) deep stab to the chest meant death for a 22-year-old Algerian - the end of a brawl between around ten young men in Constantine, the third largest city in the North African country. 

A jury court in Graz has been dealing with this murder, which took place five years ago, since the beginning of April 2022. The fifth day of the trial took place on Wednesday. To date, the 27-year-old has not felt guilty, but has stated that his cousin was the perpetrator. What is incriminating for the Algerian is the fact that he took a cab to Tunisia immediately after the murder and fled abroad. A few months later he was apprehended in Styria. He has been in custody in Graz ever since.

"It was simply fate"
In his home country, the suspect has since been convicted of murder in absentia, so extradition is out of the question - he faces the death penalty. In court, the dapper young man claimed that he had wanted to leave the country for some time. He is said to have actually already had a visa for Turkey. The fact that the murder and his departure fell on the same day was simply "fate". 

The only thing that speaks against him is that he left the country after the crime.

Der Verteidiger 

"Trip planned for a long time"
This was also emphasized by his defence lawyer: "The public prosecutor's office is acting as if there is incriminating evidence". However, the arguments put forward were largely incorrect. The lawyer saw the fact that no traces of the accused's DNA were found on the murder weapon as exonerating. "The only thing that speaks against him is that he left the country after the crime," said the lawyer. The trip had been planned long in advance, and the incident had probably only strengthened the decision.

The accused was in custody for almost five years.

(Bild: Sepp Pail, Krone KREATIV)

It was difficult to reconstruct the confusing events of that time. The knife murder in the course of the brawl between around ten people was probably preceded by a long feud between rival groups of young men. Although the two cousins were on the same side, their relationship was probably also characterized by disputes. The Graz public prosecutor's office had to rely on cooperation with Algerian authorities during the investigation - and this was "very laborious".

There are witnesses who would have seen the bloodshed
On one of the previous days of the trial, the Algerian explained that he had spoken to one of the people involved who claimed to have seen the cousin stabbing the victim. However, he did not want to testify "because he was afraid".

Then the decision on Wednesday. The lay judges believed the accused, acquitted him of the murder charge and sentenced him "only" for the brawl. Six months in prison, three months of which were deducted due to the length of the proceedings. The 27-year-old was immediately released. The verdict is not legally binding.