Austrian court sentences man to life for strangling partner

ORF reports that a 48-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday for strangling his 36-year-old partner in January. A jury at Korneuburg Regional Court unanimously found him guilty of murder. The verdict is not final.

The jury also unanimously supported the sentence, with the presiding judge saying the harshest possible punishment was warranted, particularly for general deterrence. The defendant admitted the killing, while his lawyer argued that it amounted to manslaughter.

The couple met in 2022 and began living together in a house in the Mistelbach district in 2025. Their relationship was marked by regular arguments and violence, and both regularly used alcohol and drugs, prosecutors said. Police issued several orders barring them from approaching or entering each other’s homes. Related proceedings were either discontinued or ended in acquittals because neither partner testified against the other.

The defendant described the days before the killing on 5 January as tense and marked by verbal and physical violence. He told the court that, after returning from a walk with the dog late that evening, his partner attacked him with a kitchen knife during an argument. He was not injured. He said he disarmed her and knocked her to the floor, then strangled her with a rope in a fit of rage.

He later dragged her body to an earth cellar on his property, saying he could no longer bear to look at it. He did not contact emergency services or police. Several days later, he told an acquaintance, who reported the killing on 13 January. The defendant then led police to the body. He had several previous convictions for related offences.

The article also lists support services in Austria. It says one in five women in the country experiences physical violence and gives the Women’s Helpline number as 0800 222 555. Support for men in crisis is available through Männerberatung 24/7 on 0800 400 777 and the Men’s Emergency Helpline on 0800 246 247.