Man sentenced to 10 years for attempting to murder his wife

A 67-year-old man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to murder his wife after an alleged joint suicide attempt, ORF reported. The verdict was issued Tuesday at the Regional Court in Wiener Neustadt and is not yet final.

Prosecutors said the man and his 66-year-old wife planned to die by suicide in early February at their home in Kottingbrunn, in the Baden district. The man allegedly mixed a cocktail of medication, which both drank on the evening of February 1, 2026. The planned suicide attempt failed because they did not have enough medication.

The woman fell asleep, while the man woke the next day. When he realised she was still alive, he allegedly stabbed her twice in the abdomen with a kitchen knife. A recipient of an email about the planned suicide alerted emergency services. The woman, who had life-threatening injuries, was found at the couple’s home and taken to hospital. The man was also taken to hospital with injuries. Police found the knife in his shirt sleeve.

The couple had allegedly scheduled emails about their plan to be sent to several people the following day, in an effort to prevent them from being rescued beforehand. The woman told the court that using a knife to die had not been part of their agreement. The man pleaded not guilty.

The man is already serving a three-year prison sentence for breach of trust and fraudulent insolvency. His wife was also convicted in that case. After several hours of deliberations, the court sentenced him to 10 years. The defence waived the right to appeal, while prosecutors made no statement, so the verdict is not final.

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