Honors for investigators

Contract murder of ex-wife prevented

Months of investigative work not only brought a 53-year-old man behind bars, but also high honors for the specialists of the Lower Austrian State Office of Criminal Investigation. The man searched the internet for a contract killer for his ex-wife and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. 

A killer who was hired and paid via the darknet. A client who pulled the strings from Lower Austria. And a victim who is still among the living thanks to specialists from the Lower Austrian State Office of Criminal Investigation.

This is what happened in the district of Baden: A 53-year-old man placed an advertisement on the "Online Killer Market" platform looking for a contract killer to kill his ex-wife. His perfidious plan: to make it look like an accident, the 45-year-old was to be run over by a car. His motive: the dispute over custody. In return, the man offered more than 8,000 euros in the form of bitcoins.

Investigators from the State Office of Criminal Investigation (Life and Limb Division) were honored for their "special criminalistic achievement"(Bild: LKA NÖ)

In the course of the months-long investigation, local detectives managed to thwart the planned murder. The 53-year-old was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The investigators of the Leib/Leben group of the Lower Austrian Criminal Police Office have now been honored by Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and the "Association of Austrian Criminologists" for their "special criminalistic achievements" in this case as well.

Nominations for the Lower Austrian State Criminal Police Office
"The excellent, highly committed and meticulous investigative work and the commitment that goes far beyond the normal level are also reflected in the numerous awards received in recent years," emphasizes Stefan Pfandler, Head of the Lower Austrian State Office of Criminal Investigation.