A child's knick-knack - Statement of Innocence in the Trial of a Six-Year-Old's Death
In the trial for the death of a six-year-old child, the defendant father denied any wrongdoing before the Innsbruck Regional Court. He had taken his intellectually challenged child for a walk, as he often did due to the child's restlessness, he claimed. During this walk, he was allegedly overpowered, hit on the head with a bottle, and robbed. The 39-year-old had repeated these statements before. According to his account, the child must have fallen into the nearby river during his unconsciousness. However, the prosecution declared that it was completely implausible that the 39-year-old had been unconscious for over an hour. "Medicine cannot explain why he was unconscious for so long - the justice system cannot," the prosecutor stated.
Video recordings showed that the weapon used in the alleged assault - a champagne bottle - was in the stroller. There were no DNA traces of the supposed perpetrator on the phone or the defendant's clothing. Therefore, this version was not consistent with the alleged robbery. The phone - the latest iPhone at that time - was not stolen but discarded in a trash can.
Although the father loved his child and had sacrificed himself for years, as the prosecutor noted, when the search for a kindergarten place failed that summer, he had asked the mother in a message, "how many setbacks can one endure." "Perhaps he wanted to save his child, perhaps he wanted to save his family," the prosecutor added.
During the investigation, several expert reports were obtained, and 100 DNA samples were analyzed. In addition, it was checked which mobile phones were logged in at the crime scene at the time.
From the defense's perspective, there was no motive for murder, as the father had a loving relationship with his son. Moreover, the investigations were inadequate, the defender of the suspect stated shortly before the start of the three-day trial. During this time, numerous witnesses were expected to testify.
- The Public Prosecutor's Office in Germany evaluated the case, considering the lack of DNA evidence on the alleged perpetrator and the defendant's clothing.
- The murder trial in Austria's Innsbruck Regional Court involved discussions about the father's statement of being overpowered and hit with a bottle during a walk with his son near a river.
- Despite the Father's alibi involving an alleged assault and robbery, the Public Prosecutor's Office suspected that the DNA evidence could provide insights into the case in Austria, where the incident took place.
- The investigation's findings revealed no criminal history associated with the supposed perpetrator, making it difficult for the Public Prosecutor's Office to establish a motive for the murder.
- In Austria, the three-day trial concerned the child's death, which sparked public interest and highlighted the importance of the court process in establishing the truth and ensuring justice.
