Attempted murder trial

Knife attack in Beils: Man (40) faces life imprisonment

The 40-year-old's trial was adjourned at the end of August to summon a toxicology expert.

(Bild: Anja Richter, Krone KREATIV)

In the trial surrounding a bloody knife attack in a pub in Vienna-Margareten, a decision is to be made on Tuesday at the regional court. The jury retired for deliberations at around 3 pm. A 40-year-old man is charged with three counts of attempted murder. He is said to have grabbed a knife from the bar and then stabbed three guests.

The trial was only adjourned at the end of August to summon a toxicology expert. It had to be clarified whether the 40-year-old had committed the attack under the influence of intoxication or whether he might have been mentally incompetent at the time of the crime. The defendant pleaded not guilty to attempted murder on the first day of the trial, but admitted to the assaults. Due to his alcoholization and drug consumption, he could only remember the evening incompletely.

Started using drugs again
The accused admitted that he had started using drugs again about six to seven weeks before the crime after months of abstinence. At the end of the trial, he apologized to the injured men. "It was never my intention to kill anyone, that's absurd," said the 40-year-old. 

Due to a combined personality disorder, which is associated with the risk that the 40-year-old is highly likely to commit serious crimes in the future, the public prosecutor's office has also applied for him to be admitted to a forensic therapeutic center following an expert opinion by Peter Hofmann.

It was never my intention to kill anyone, that's absurd.

der Angeklagte (40)

Consumed cocaine and amphetamine
The accused had already come into conflict with the law in the past because of his alcohol and drug addiction. On the afternoon before the crime, he visited the pub in Margareten, as he often did. The landlady was a friend of his and he was supposed to pick up a car for her that day, but he had forgotten his driver's license. So he sat at the bar all evening and drank - according to the landlady, seven beers, Jägermeister, a Bacardi-Cola, and also consumed cocaine and amphetamines.

A friend joined him late at night and at some point he missed his cell phone. A party at the next table was asked about the whereabouts of the phone. In the course of this, there was probably a discussion between the two Viennese and the group of Serbs in the bar.

How and why the defendant took the knife from the bar was not 100% clear even during the trial. The man could only vaguely remember and said that he only remembered the discussion and the knife. He also suffered injuries, a broken jaw and a fractured eye socket. It was unclear who had inflicted this on him.

Stabbed in the neck from behind
His friend claimed that one of the Serbs had approached the 40-year-old in a threatening manner, the two had then scuffled and the 40-year-old had only defended himself. The other guests agreed that the accused had come to the table and stabbed one of them in the neck from behind. Two Serbs came to the attacker's aid and were also injured. They joined the proceedings as private parties.

Suffered life-threatening injuries
According to the public prosecutor, he stabbed the men ten times. One suffered life-threatening injuries and would not have survived without medical assistance, the other two were seriously and slightly injured respectively. The witnesses spoke of a targeted attack with the first stab, then the 40-year-old is said to have swung the knife back and forth.

Defendant faces life imprisonment
On the first day of the trial, his defense lawyers pleaded guilty to two counts of intentional grievous bodily harm and one count of grievous bodily harm. Their client understood that he needed alcohol and drug rehabilitation. He would also want to undergo therapy for his personality disorder. He would behave normally in everyday life and his friend described him as a good person. He had always committed his crimes under the influence of drugs. If found guilty as charged, he faces a prison sentence of between ten and 20 years or life imprisonment. A verdict is expected in the early evening.