Second suspect sought over Kottingbrunn woman’s shooting

Police are seeking a 32-year-old German internationally on suspicion of aiding the murder of a 28-year-old woman in Kottingbrunn, in Baden district, ORF reported on Sunday, citing a report by the Kronen Zeitung.

A 27-year-old man from Styria is currently in pretrial detention on suspicion of murder. He allegedly shot the woman three times in the head with a small-calibre pistol. The two had met on Facebook.

According to the report, the 32-year-old was allegedly present when the woman was killed, but the 27-year-old is believed to have fired the shots. The suspect reportedly mentioned the alleged accomplice only after several months because he was afraid of him.

The two men allegedly planned to rob the woman in her apartment. The 32-year-old is now wanted internationally on suspicion of possible assistance in the killing.

A spokesperson for the Wiener Neustadt public prosecutor’s office declined to confirm or deny the report to the Austria Press Agency, citing investigative reasons. A court-ordered inspection of the crime scene took place last week.

The woman’s parents found her lifeless in her apartment on May 14. Initial findings placed the likely time of death around that date. Investigators initially also considered a fall as the cause of death, but an autopsy found that she had been shot.

The man’s former lawyer had previously described an insult or humiliation by the woman as a possible motive.