Not legally binding

Defendant came to trial at the last moment

Christa P. was buried for eight months in a field not far from the Linz apartment where she died

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Horst Einöder, Markus Wenzel)

Will the defendant come or not? More than a year after the disappearance of Christa P. (55), this was the question posed by the deceased's family and many court spectators at the regional court on Tuesday. Surprisingly for everyone, the 44-year-old came forward at the last moment, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months in prison as an additional sentence.

"It would be an important step for us when the trial is over," says the son of the Linz woman before the hearing. He can't find an answer to the question of what sentence he expects or what would be fair. Christa P.'s mother, children and siblings have gathered in front of courtroom 136 on the second floor of the Linz Regional Court, and when the door opens, every seat is taken - some of those present even have to stand.

"She can no longer be woken up"
The defendant, who is accused of watching his acquaintance die of alcohol and a drug substitute in his apartment in October of the previous year, faces up to three years in prison. He had called an acquaintance three times, telling him that Christa P. was getting worse and worse and that she could no longer be woken up. But he did not follow the advice to call the ambulance.

"She was still alive"
After she had died, he is said to have "shouldered" the body and dragged it about 300 meters to a field near his home in Linz-Ebelsberg and buried it there. When the family went in search of the missing mother and called the police, the man from Linz testified that she had left his apartment alive that morning.

Lived with a lie for eight months
He held on to this version for eight months, then he told a relative the truth and the relative went to the police - whereupon the 44-year-old showed the police the "grave". The man from Linz has now been charged with stabbing an injured person and disturbing the peace of the dead - he faces up to three years in prison. At first it looked as if the defendant would skip the trial, but five minutes after the hearing was called, he turned up. And the first thing he had to do was face the eyes of Christa P.'s family. He didn't look at them once, wore a black hooded jacket and spoke quietly.

A total of 24 months in prison
The judge sentenced the defendant to six months in prison, but as an additional sentence. This was because a sentence from the previous year had to be taken into account, in which he had "received" 18 months in prison. He must now serve this sentence as well, with the six months being added to it - making a total of 24 months. There was a murmur in the courtroom; the sentence is too light for his relatives. The verdict is not yet final.