Criminal legend
South Tyrolean “escape king” Max Leitner is dead
The South Tyrolean "escape king" Max Leitner has died at the age of 66. The serial robber was found dead in his apartment in Merano, as confirmed by his lawyer. The cause of death was initially unknown, but the South Tyrolean was in poor health. He had escaped from prison five times.
Leitner, who came from the Eisack Valley and was responsible for several armed robberies in Austria and Italy, was released from prison for the last time last December.
The supervisory court in Bolzano had revoked all parole conditions for health reasons. However, Leitner was not allowed to leave the Merano municipality and was under medical supervision due to his state of health.
A total of 26 years in prison
Max Leitner's list of offenses is long: he spent a total of 26 years in prison. He was last arrested on the night of September 17, 2021 after two shots were fired at a prostitute's car in Bolzano.
Exchange of gunfire during an armored car robbery
Leitner had more than lived up to his reputation as the "escape king" in the past. In August 1990, he and accomplices attempted to rob an armored car loaded with 90 million schillings near the Innsbruck-Süd exit of the Brenner highway. However, the coup was foiled by a special gendarmerie unit, Leitner was caught after a gunfight and finally sentenced to twelve years in prison by a jury. He managed to escape a few days later. He described the prison conditions in Austria as "medieval".
Leitner managed to escape five times
Leitner continued his imprisonment in Bolzano, where, according to the prison guards, he behaved in an "exemplary" manner - until one day he roped himself off with sheets and fled. He was - temporarily - recaptured in May 1993. However, Leitner did not return to the high-security prison in Padua during a furlough in 2002. After a bank robbery in 2003, he was caught by a large contingent of Carabinieri in a cornfield near Bruneck after a sensational escape lasting several days. He was sentenced and sent to prison in Bergamo - even then only temporarily.
An escape in December 2004 came to an abrupt end with an arrest in Morocco. In October 2011, he never returned to Asti prison in Piedmont after being released. In December of the same year, he was finally caught again.
In September 2016, Max Leitner was transferred to house arrest in Elvas in Brixen for the remainder of his prison sentence until June 2019.
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