Womanizer despite murder

Sara’s murderer allegedly blackmailed his brother in prison

In Sonnberg prison, murderer Rene P. (right) - who is serving a life sentence - is alleged to have blackmailed a fellow inmate.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Christian Jauschwetz)

Rene P. murdered his ex-girlfriend in 2020. Ice-cold, he shot the 34-year-old Styrian woman several times - for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. In prison, the law graduate has now made his next accusation. As with his murder trial, he does not see himself as the perpetrator.

Rene P. has already served four years and nine months in prison for the cold-blooded murder of his ex-girlfriend. The then 35-year-old unemployed lawyer shot Sara L. (34) in her own home in Großwilfersdorf, Styria - he pulled the trigger several times; twice when she was already lying on the floor. However, there was no sign of remorse or a confession at the trial in Graz Regional Court in 2021: he had acted in self-defense, the Upper Austrian presented himself as the victim.

Murderer presented with a waist belt
He is now doing exactly the same thing in Korneuburg Provincial Court (Lower Austria), where he is being brought out of custody under close guard; his handcuffs are also attached to a waist belt. Instead of a large jury courtroom and a throng of media, he now finds himself in one of the smallest trial rooms - although he once made bloody headlines, there is no sign of an audience.

The defendant at his trial in Graz Regional Criminal Court.

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

The crime scene in Großwilfersdorf.

(Bild: Friedl)

(Bild: Christian Schulter)

Strictly guarded, the defendant came to the crime reconstruction in 2021.

(Bild: Schulter Christian)

His life in prison has been turbulent since his murder trial: the now 38-year-old has been transferred three times. "A Chechen attacked me in Suben prison," he explains to the judge. And there were also problems in the Stein correctional facility in Krems (Lower Austria). So the murderer was transferred to Sonnberg.

Drug dealing and blackmail in prison?
According to inmates, Rene P. smuggled drugs there. In the course of his business, he allegedly tried to blackmail a fellow inmate - a convicted rapist - and pushed him roughly against the toilet wall. He demanded 5000 euros from him.

I didn't take it too seriously. This is not the first time in the five years he has been in prison.

Warum meldete Rene P. nicht, dass er angeblich erpresst wurde?

But once again, the defendant was wrongly accused, because he was actually the victim: "The inmate found out that my family was wealthy. He said he would like 50,000 euros, otherwise something would happen to me," said the lawyer, who now wears glittering flats and a nose piercing. The string-puller of his alleged blackmail: his ex-wife, who owed exactly that amount.

Rene P. a womanizer despite brutal murder
Despite the heinous murder of Sara L., P. is unlikely to have a hard time with women. He got married in prison after his girlfriend at the time became pregnant - but a paternity test turned out to be fake. Divorce quickly followed. And he currently has a partner, but she is not allowed to visit him. They kept in touch via five illegal cell phones with ten different SIM cards.

The 38-year-old will not be seeing his wife any time soon - in addition to life imprisonment, which only exists formally in Austria due to the Convention on Human Rights, he could also face a prison sentence for assault and attempted extortion, among other things. The trial was adjourned for further witnesses and an expert opinion.