Because of money owed

Wife (35) murdered: “I heard her gasping”

The 63-year-old Viennese in his murder trial

(Bild: Sophie Pratschner, Krone KREATIV)

For years, a 63-year-old man pretended his younger wife was rich and living a life of luxury. At the same time, the couple were facing a mountain of debt. That's why Peter M. made the cruel decision to kill himself, his wife and their dog on October 5, 2023. While the 34-year-old did not survive after a death struggle that lasted several minutes, her husband was sent to prison for life - not legally binding.

"I have seen many crime scenes in my career as a public prosecutor, but the image of this dead woman in this room ... This butchered woman. It has been etched in my mind since October 5." The prosecutor's opening words alone make it clear what horrific scenes the police must have witnessed on the day of the crime last year. When Peter M. killed his wife with a Stanley knife and a kitchen knife.

Defendant faced a huge mountain of debt
Dressed up in a blue suit, the 63-year-old is now sitting in front of the jury in Vienna Regional Court. "That wasn't his plan," explains his defense lawyer Ernst Schillhammer. His client not only wanted to kill his 34-year-old wife and their dog, he also wanted to end his own life. The reason: he had debts amounting to 400,000 euros and had only moved into a new detached house in Vienna-Liesing a month before the murder. "He knew he wouldn't be able to repay his debts. He didn't know how to live on," said the public prosecutor.

This is about the murder of a loved one - the most important person in the defendant's life. When you see him here, you can't believe that he is capable of such a brutal and bestial act.

Staatsanwältin Anna-Maria Wukovits im Wiener Landesgericht

"I always pretended that I was doing well financially. That I could afford nice things, great trips," says Peter M. He showered his younger wife with jewelry, clothes and other gifts, eventually fulfilling her dream of owning her own home. The 64-year-old had been facing a mountain of debt for years and was drawing an occupational disability pension after suffering from cancer. He borrowed money wherever he could or swindled it with false promises. "I ended up playing the lottery with large sums of money" - but it didn't work out ...

Throat slit in front of the mirror
So a few days before October 5, he made the decision: "He wanted to commit suicide. But he didn't want to go alone." While his wife was still preparing the food for the next few days in the kitchen, the accused wrote farewell letters to his son, brother and a good friend in the cellar. When the 34-year-old was finally putting on her make-up in the dressing room, Peter M. cut her throat from behind with a Stanley knife. "She collapsed in my arms and I laid her on the floor," the 63-year-old described in court. 

At that moment, the gasping stopped.

Peter M. (63) in seinem Mordprozess

He then tried to injure his neck with the knife and lost consciousness - "I woke up and heard her gasping." In the end, the accused rammed a kitchen knife into his wife's back. "At that moment, the rattling stopped."

Four-legged friend and defendant survived
Meanwhile, he tried to stab the dog in the neck with the same knife. "There were bloody paw prints all over the house," the prosecutor recalls of the on-site inspection. The four-legged friend was able to wriggle out of the defendant's grip and survived the attack. 

Lawyer Ernst Schillhammer defends.

(Bild: zVg)

Just like Peter M. himself. "He did injure himself, but only superficially," said the prosecutor. Even defense lawyer Ernst Schillhammer cannot understand his client's actions: "I can't imagine why anyone would do that. To go beyond this level, to kill a loved one." Nevertheless, he asks the jury to take emotions out of their decision on the sentence.

However, due to the "dastardly and cruel" commission of the crime, there was only one possible sentence according to the presiding judge: life imprisonment! "There was little remorse in the true sense of the word," Ms. Rat stated. "The way you proceeded borders on execution." The defendant and his defense lawyer Ernst Schillhammer take three days to reflect.

Three murders in 19 hours
At the beginning of last October, three knife murders within 19 hours shook the country. In addition to the bloody deed in Vienna-Liesing, another 64-year-old man stabbed his wife (54) to death. The man then threw himself out of a second-floor window - he did not survive. In Upper Austria, a young female nurse attacked a pensioner (82) with two knives in his hospital bed. He bled to death internally. The 24-year-old was sentenced to 20 years in prison.