- Leon case: murder trial ends with acquittal for father
They embrace - the father, the mother. Seconds after the verdict that brought relief to the defendant in the murder trial in Innsbruck. The eight jurors acquitted the 39-year-old unanimously. They found it unproven that the man from Germany pushed his mentally impaired son Leon into a river, causing his death. With this verdict, the 17 months of investigative custody for the previously suspected man come to an end. He was immediately released on bail. The verdict is not final.
Emotional Scenes
The emotional scenes of the defendant and his wife may have particularly impressed the jurors. In his closing statement, the man, tears in his eyes, reiterated that he had nothing to do with the death of the child. For him and his family, there would be no happy ending due to the loss of Leon, regardless of the verdict.
During the trial, the mother of the six-year-old also strongly supported her husband. The 39-year-old was a loving father to his son and had no motive for such an act. This was also one of the main lines of defense: The prosecution had not presented a convincing motive. Moreover, the investigators had been sloppy and biased.
Defendant Stuck to His Version
Throughout the three-day trial, the defendant stuck to his version of events. According to him, he was walking with his son in a stroller along the river promenade in St. Johann in Tirol on the morning of August 28, 2022, also to help the often restless child fall asleep. He was attacked by an unknown assailant and knocked unconscious with a bottle. He was unconscious for some time. In those minutes, his son got out of the stroller and fell into the river. Leon's body was later found on a sandbank.
Expert Opinions Seemed to Support the Prosecution
Expert opinions also played a significant role in the trial. One expert suggested that the defendant's version of events could not be true. The head injuries of the 39-year-old were not severe enough to cause prolonged unconsciousness, it was said. The prosecution referred to IT experts who pointed out that the alleged unknown assailant did not even attempt to unlock the defendant's phone. The smartphone was found in a nearby trash can and only had the fingerprints of the 39-year-old, according to an expert.
Defense Sowed Doubt
The defense appears to have succeeded in casting doubt on the reliability of the experts' statements. Some of the results of the experts' analyses were at least open to interpretation. Could the head wounds have caused unconsciousness? Well, at least a concussion was officially diagnosed, the defense argued. Their plea to acquit the defendant in case of doubt also made an impression.
Case Initially Seemed Clear-Cut
Initially, the case seemed clear-cut. A robbery - and its fatal consequences for the son. Only when the investigators failed to find any leads after months, suspicion increasingly fell on the father himself. Six months after the incident, he was arrested on suspicion of murder, which was considered a sensational turn of events.
The accused had to face not only the suspicion of murder but also the suspicion of attempted fraud of an act punishable by law. If convicted, he would have faced a life sentence.
Women in the courtroom were moved by the emotional testimonies of the defendant's wife and the mother of Leon, strongly advocating for her husband's innocence. The jury's decision to acquit the man was a relief not just to him, but also to these women who believed in his innocence.
