Bloody deed in pizzeria

Kitchen assistant stabbed colleague: Conditional prison sentence

The trial took place in the jury courtroom of the Salzburg Provincial Court.

(Bild: Markus Tschepp)

An Italian woman and mother of four (43) had to answer for the charge of attempted murder in Salzburg Regional Court. At the start of the trial, she spoke of self-defense and said: "I only wanted to stab him for a moment." However, the jury did not find attempted murder, but only assault. She was given a suspended sentence.

The defendant, an Italian woman (43), explained herself spiritedly to the jury at the Salzburg Provincial Court at the start of the trial on Tuesday. She vehemently denied the accusation of attempted murder - she saw herself as the victim of a sexual assault and would only have defended herself with a knife: "I only wanted to stab him briefly." But the eight-centimeter-deep stab wound above the heart was life-threatening for her colleague.

Work colleagues celebrated before things escalated
The bloody incident took place on the night of July 2, 2024. The two colleagues from a pizzeria in Pinzgau had been partying and drinking with another colleague that evening. It is not entirely clear why an argument broke out. According to the prosecutor, a broken glass is likely to have aroused the accused's anger. She is also said to have told different versions during the interrogation and to have threatened to accuse her work colleagues of rape. Furthermore, she is said to have urged the two colleagues, including the victim of the knife attack, to give false testimony - namely to self-harm.

The accused had only known the victim for a short time - she had only arrived in Pinzgau five days before the attack to work as a kitchen assistant. She has been in custody since the incident. 

However, she was allowed to leave custody on Friday afternoon. The jury at the Salzburg provincial court decided against attempted murder and instead ruled that she had caused grievous bodily harm. The previously blameless defendant received a suspended sentence of 15 months. The verdict is not final.