Employee stabbed to death

Life imprisonment after murder out of jealousy

The victim was resuscitated, but died shortly afterwards in hospital.

(Bild: laumat.at/Christian Schürrer, Krone KREATIV)

Because he believed he was having an affair with his wife, a 40-year-old Montenegrin stabbed his Bosnian coworker of the same age to death with a knife. 15 months and three trial days later at Wels Regional Court, the verdict was handed down on Tuesday: life imprisonment for the Montenegrin. 

On March 31 of the previous year, the accused had "murdered an employee, whom he suspected of having an affair with his wife, with five powerful stab wounds" at his company's warehouse in Marchtrenk (Wels-Land district), said the public prosecutor. He then used the bloody knife to force a 19-year-old employee to drive him to a café.

On the way, he called his wife and said: "I killed your lover, I'm going to jail now and then I'm going to kill you."

I've killed your lover, I'm going to prison now and then I'm going to kill you.

Der Mordangeklagte zu seiner Frau

"I actually had everything"
The 40-year-old committed the crime out of "groundless raging jealousy", said the public prosecutor. The man "actually had everything" - a family, a house, a company and a good income. A few years ago, however, he had started drinking, taking cocaine, going to brothels and abusing his wife. One month before the murder of the Bosnian, he was sentenced to a conditional prison sentence for continued violence against his wife. This was not the first time he had suspected one of his employees. 

No self-defense
The defense strategy of pleading "putative self-defense" because the convicted man had believed that the victim wanted to attack him and that he had only gotten ahead of him fell on deaf ears with the judge and lay assessors: The 40-year-old must now serve life imprisonment for murder, dangerous threats and coercion.

Symbolic compensation for pain and suffering
He must also pay his still-wife symbolic pain and suffering compensation of 50 euros. The defendant's confession was considered mitigating. Aggravating factors, on the other hand, were a relevant previous conviction, the concurrence of several criminal offenses, the exceptional brutality of the crime, the threat to harm relatives and the fact that the crime was committed during a probationary period. The verdict is not yet final, defense lawyer Andreas Mauhart filed an appeal for annulment.