Santa Claus in prison: Murder process causes a sensation in Vienna!

Santa Claus in prison: Murder process causes a sensation in Vienna!

At the Vienna Court of Criminal Court, this week was again a very special case that deals with the mind: a 60-year-old man who is known as a "Santa Claus" in the Josefstadt prison. The indictment of attempted murder, which was charged to him in the Sigmund-Freud-Park in July 2024, was rejected by the jurors in February last year. Instead, they decided on serious bodily harm, which now led to a new process after the perception of an alleged mistake of the jury has been exposed. The Kurier reports.

The process that is negotiated by a newly composed jury could be of great importance for the accused. As he explained himself, he acted in self-defense on July 29, 2024 when he stood on a 55-year-old. He vehemently denied the attempted murder in front of the court, but admitted that he attacked the victim several times with a knife in the said discussion. The defense criticized the procedure of the professional judges.

The discussion in detail

As reported by SN.at, the violent discussion took place during a meeting with a friend in the Sigmund-Freud-Park. The defendant claims that the later victim's verbal assault was initially exposed to the verbal assault, which was insulting and finally became palpable. The defendant says that he was in a state of exhaustion and acted for fear of being "beaten up". He stabbed the 55-year-old five times into the belly area, which led to serious injuries that had to be treated with emergency operation. The range of alcohol - several cans of beer and vodka - is said to have played a role, because the victim had no memory of the circumstances.

The accused himself said that he could no longer help in this Situation and described his actions as a desperate defense. He stated that he stood up several times in the hope of ending the argument. The resulting injuries were so serious that the life of the 55-year-old was in acute danger according to the doctors.

Investigations and legal consequences

The investigation caused the accused to go to the police voluntarily at the end of August 2024 after he had been searched for. Previously, a photo of the "Santa Claus" had been spread on Tikkok, which additionally fueled the public interest in this unusual event. He confessed to having had a knife with him, which he explained as a bad habit from his time as a fiaker driver. The man is also interested in the man: he learned the handicraft of the hafner and tiled stove builder.

The entire situation around this process is more than bizarre and shows that the boundaries between self -defense and assault are sometimes difficult to define. The outcome of the procedure remains to be seen, but the town hall of Vienna is enriched by an exciting court drama.

The process is pursued with great attention by the media, and the question remains: How will the newly composite jury evaluate the evidence and statements? The next trial days promise to continue to raise many questions.