Man sentenced to life for killing nursing home resident

A 61-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday for murdering an 87-year-old resident of a senior residence in Vienna’s Döbling district, ORF reported. He was also ordered under Section 21(1) of the Criminal Code to be placed in a forensic-therapeutic centre.

Eight jurors found by a vote of seven to one that the man had intentionally killed the woman on 19 January 2026. He denied harming her during the trial.

The prosecutor alleged that the man went to the woman’s room, pushed her onto the bed, strangled her and probably suffocated her with a pillow. He then allegedly opened her safe and took jewellery and at least 500 euros in cash. The prosecution said he was motivated by gambling debts.

The woman was described as a popular resident and a random victim. According to the prosecution, the man entered the residence carrying an artificial bouquet and initially stayed in the cafeteria, apparently looking for a potential victim. The 87-year-old had received two visitors there that afternoon before returning to her room after 5 p.m. The prosecutor said the man probably followed her.

The prosecution referred to torn-out hair and broken fingernails as evidence that the woman had tried unsuccessfully to defend herself.

The defendant said he had only wanted to help the woman. He told the court that he had intended to visit an acquaintance and found the 87-year-old on the floor beside her overturned walking frame. He said he helped her up and then saw money on her bedside table.

He admitted taking 320 euros but denied having anything to do with her death. He claimed that the woman swallowed three rings and put her wristwatch in her mouth after removing it. He said he left the room in a panic after she appeared to put herself in a life-threatening condition.

Forensic pathologist Christoph Reisinger said the cause of death was a suffocation process lasting several minutes. The woman had previously been strangled, he said. Four broken ribs found during the autopsy indicated that the attacker had sat or knelt on her chest while using considerable force.

Psychiatric expert Peter Hofmann said the defendant had been legally responsible for his actions but had a combined personality disorder. Hofmann described him as dangerous, with narcissistic and manipulative traits, emotional instability and a tendency to take offence easily.

Without therapy during his imprisonment, Hofmann warned, the man could commit serious violent offences, including offences causing death, after a possible release.

The man has already spent 17 years in prison for property offences. He was most recently released on 12 July 2024 after serving a four-and-a-half-year sentence for serious commercial fraud. According to the prosecutor, he had deceived an older woman by pretending to have feelings for her and obtained a substantial sum of money from her.