Twelve years in prison

Man (33) shoots himself dead in drug deal

The defendant arrives smartly dressed for his trial for attempted murder at the Vienna Regional Court.

(Bild: SP, Krone KREATIV)

Two shots were fired in the afternoon near Schweglerstraße subway station in the 15th district. A drug deal gone wrong, as it later turned out - with one man critically injured. He now sat before a jury on charges of attempted murder in Vienna's Landl district and has to serve twelve years in prison, not legally binding.

A drug deal of the kind that probably takes place dozens of times a day in Vienna - at least that was the initial situation that ended fatally for a 31-year-old in the 15th district. "Sometime in the afternoon on 1 May 2024, my client lies on the floor and dies," summarizes lawyer David Jodlbauer. Only emergency medical measures can save the life of the Burgenland native - he suffered a punctured lung.

From the intensive care unit to pre-trial detention
In the Vienna Regional Court, however, he is not appearing as a victim in the trial for attempted murder, but as a defendant. This is because he had almost fatally shot himself. The public prosecutor's office charged him with intent to kill his opponent. 

This built up. The defendant became increasingly aggressive. He took a pistol with him to the drug handover.

Staatsanwältin im Wiener Landesgericht

Together with two other friends, the 31-year-old wanted to buy cocaine near the Schweglerstrasse subway station on May 1, 2024. When handing over the money, however, they disagreed with the other three people. First the money, then the drugs or first the drugs and then the money? "That got out of hand. The defendant became more and more aggressive. He took a pistol with him to the drug handover," the public prosecutor describes. 

Who fired and when?
According to the prosecution, the unemployed man then drew it. This is said to have triggered a scuffle - in which two shots were fired. But the man from Burgenland no longer wants to remember them. All he knows is that his opponent had him in a headlock and that he ultimately reached for his weapon. "My intention was to scare them and sneak away," he told the jury.

Lawyer David Jodlbauer defends the unemployed man from Burgenland.

(Bild: Sophie Pratschner)

They have a very difficult task in the trial. Because even the statements of the individual witnesses differ. They are no longer sure when the pistol came into play. Or who had it in their hands and when ... The fact is: Only the defendant's DNA was found on the trigger of the pistol. 

"Has an excessive addiction to weapons"
In addition to the most serious charge, attempted murder, the public prosecutor's office also accuses the 31-year-old of an attempted crime under the Narcotics Act, aggravated coercion, attempted burglary of a gun store and violation of the Weapons Act. "He has an excessive addiction to weapons. He has a pathological need to own firearms. He even had a small - rather medium-sized - arsenal of weapons at home," explained the prosecutor. Despite a weapons ban that has been in place against him since he was 17 years old.

The jury sentenced the native of Burgenland to twelve years in prison for the list of offenses. The verdict is not yet final. A psychiatric report also attests that the accused has a personality disorder that makes him dangerous. He will therefore also be placed in a forensic therapy center.