Victim narrowly survived

“Santa Claus” on trial for attempted murder

(Bild: Jöchl Martin)

The 60-year-old man who stabbed a 54-year-old man with a knife in Sigmund Freud Park in Vienna's Alsergrund district at the end of July last year has been charged with attempted murder. The accused, who is known as "Santa Claus" in the Josefstadt prison because of his appearance - including a distinctive white beard - had critically injured his opponent.

The accused had met with a friend in front of the Votive Church on July 29, 2024, and the two of them indulged in alcohol. Late at night, they danced to the music played by a group of young boys and women who had laid down in the meadow and were partying. According to the public prosecutor's office - the indictment is available to the APA - this led to a fight between the accused and the later victim for "as yet unexplained reasons".

Crime knife buried in plant trough
The "Santa Claus" finally pushed the 54-year-old into a bush. When he had picked himself up and approached the accused, he pulled out a folding knife, grabbed the 54-year-old by the right shoulder with his left hand "and with his right hand made five targeted stabbing movements with the knife against the front of the man's upper body. After the fifth stab, he let go of him and ran away. On his escape route, he buried the knife in a plant trough," the indictment reads.

Stabbed in the chest and stomach
The blade penetrated the stabbed man's left ribcage twice, opening the ribcage and reaching the fatty tissue in front of the heart, but leaving the heart itself unharmed. One stitch went into the right chest, which also opened the chest cavity and caused a pneumothorax - an accumulation of air between the lungs and the chest wall. Two further stabs opened the abdominal cavity, penetrated the abdominal muscles and reached the loop of the large intestine, which remained undamaged.

A young doctor who happened to be nearby administered first aid to the critically injured man. Thanks to the effective rescue chain and an emergency operation performed in a nearby hospital, the man survived.

Voluntarily handed in to the police
The 60-year-old voluntarily handed himself in at a police station at the end of August after a photo taken by a witness in Sigmund Freud Park shortly before the crime was published in the media. Several people - including his former boss and his brother - had identified him on the basis of his striking appearance.

The defendant, represented by Viennese lawyer Anita Schattner, denies intent to kill. On the other hand, the public prosecutor believes that the 60-year-old at least seriously considered it possible during the attack and was resigned to killing the victim "by stabbing him in the upper body. In particular, he was aware that five such stabs, if carried out with a knife with a blade length of approximately seven centimetres, could lead to death", as stated in the indictment.

Up to life imprisonment possible
The indictment is already legally binding and a trial date has been set. "Santa Claus" will have to answer to a jury on February 24. If he is convicted in accordance with the indictment, he faces at least ten years, and in the worst case 20 years or even life imprisonment.