A 35-year-old man is suspected of stabbing his 44-year-old wife to death in the early morning hours of Saturday in the Braunau district. The man confessed to the crime during police questioning, according to the Ried public prosecutor’s office. Two bloodstained knives were found at the couple’s residence. With one of the knives, he attacked his wife, and with the other, the man, who is originally from Bavaria, inflicted self-inflicted cuts in an apparent suicide attempt.
The suspect was arrested and taken to the Ried prison after consultation with the Ried public prosecutor’s office. On Sunday afternoon, the court decided to impose pre-trial detention on him following a request from the prosecutor’s office.
The Argument Before the Attack
According to an initial reconstruction, the incident occurred around 4:00 a.m. after the couple had returned home from a party. An argument began in the car during the drive home, where they both threw divorce accusations at each other, as Franz Zimmer, spokesperson for the Ried prosecution office, described the situation. The dispute is believed to have escalated later in the living room, where the 35-year-old allegedly grabbed a knife and fatally wounded his wife. Afterward, he claimed to have attempted suicide. He inflicted self-harm, but the injuries were not severe enough to require hospitalization, and the man was able to leave the hospital the same day.
The Discovery of the Crime
Around six hours after the femicide, the 44-year-old’s daughter returned home, having spent the night at her partner’s place. She found her mother lying lifeless on the living room floor, while her stepfather sat in an armchair, asleep. She woke him, and he stated that he couldn’t remember anything. The 20-year-old then called emergency services. An alcohol test, conducted six hours after the crime, showed a value of zero percent blood alcohol content. The claim of a “blackout” seemed suspicious to the police, who immediately arrested the man on the spot as a prime suspect. The interrogation continued until the evening.
An autopsy of the victim’s body has been ordered, with the procedure scheduled for Tuesday. The suspect had no previous police record, and there were no indications of prior violent crimes at the couple’s residence, according to the prosecution office.
Contrary to initial reports, the victim had a teenage son from a previous relationship, who had spent the night elsewhere.
Political Attention to the Incident
The alleged femicide in Innviertel also made waves in Austrian politics on Saturday evening. “We are deeply shocked by the tragic death of a woman. If it is confirmed that another woman has been murdered by her partner today, it tragically shows how urgent effective measures against violence against women are – every femicide is one too many,” said Women’s Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner and Justice Minister Anna Sporrer (both SPÖ) in a statement to APA. They reminded that they were “working hard on a National Action Plan against Violence against Women.”
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In Austria, women who experience violence can find help and information through the Women’s Helpline at: 0800-222-555, www.frauenhelpline.at; the Autonome Österreichische Frauenhäuser (AÖF) association at www.aoef.at, as well as the Women’s Shelter Emergency Helpline at 057722 and the Austrian Violence Protection Centers: 0800/700-217; Police Emergency Number: 133, and in Upper Austria, the Autonome Frauenzentrum – Women’s Emergency Helpline OÖ at 0732/602200.
Support for individuals with suicidal thoughts and their families is offered by the Suicide Prevention Portal of the Ministry of Health. Contact information for support organizations in Austria can be found at www.suizid-praevention.gv.at. Information for young people is available at www.bittelebe.at)
