Murder in Favoriten

Neighbor: “I heard cries for help and furniture flying”

Neighbor Michaela (20) knew the alleged perpetrator from going for a walk(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

After cries for help in Vienna's hotspot district, the police arrived. The officers found a dead woman, the boyfriend is a suspect. The "Krone" spoke to a neighbor, she says: "I know him from walking the dog." 

There was an eerie silence in the cooperative building in the middle of Favoriten on Sunday. The police were alerted in the morning. They discovered a female body in an apartment in Columbusgasse. It is the 16th murder of a woman this year.

"Due to the injuries, it must be assumed that it was a homicide", confirmed police spokeswoman Julia Schick. A 39-year-old man, who was in a relationship with the older woman, is under suspicion. He was arrested.

The crime scene in Columbusgasse in Favoriten.(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

"At 8.30 a.m. I heard screams and flying furniture. When I left the house, the police were already there. I could see traces of blood in the apartment."

Nachbarin Michaela (20)

Neighbors in shock
There is unrest in the apartment building. Neighbor Michaela is shocked. "I woke up in the morning because I heard a woman screaming for help. She was crying too," she says. Then the 20-year-old heard objects flying through the apartment. She went to check, the front door was open. Then the police arrived. Michaela: "When I went for a walk with my dog, I could see traces of blood through the open door."

"You know each other from walking the dog"
She only knew the alleged perpetrator from saying hello. "He also had a dog once. We met in the stairwell or on our rounds and exchanged a few words. He seemed normal, likeable," says Michaela. But she never saw a woman. "I also imagined that two men lived here. This is the first time I've heard of a woman."

How does she feel now? "The tenth district has generally become less safe. But the fact that something like this is happening right next door makes it even worse."