Second teenager charged over Vienna cemetery murder

A second 14-year-old girl will face trial over the killing of a 64-year-old woman at Baumgarten Cemetery in Vienna in February, ORF reported. The girl, a friend of the teenager already convicted in the case, has been charged with contributing to murder. The indictment is final, and the trial is scheduled for September 9 before a youth court.

In June, the other 14-year-old was sentenced to eight years in prison and ordered to be placed in a forensic therapeutic centre as the direct perpetrator.

During that trial, she said she had experienced thoughts of murder for some time. She had shared her fantasies with her friend in a message, telling her about the thoughts. According to her account, the friend even encouraged her to carry out the killing.

The friend had already been listed as a suspect before the trial. Statements by the main defendant during the proceedings ultimately incriminated her, prompting the Vienna public prosecutor’s office to file charges, ORF said, citing Puls 24 as the first outlet to report the development.

The case drew widespread public attention because the victim was a random target. She was at the cemetery when the girl, a complete stranger, attacked her from behind. The teenager stabbed the 64-year-old several times, and she died at the scene. The girl, who lived in a social psychiatric facility, had bought the weapon shortly before the attack. The victim suffered more than 80 stab and cut wounds, mainly to the head and neck.

After the attack, the teenager took photographs of the body and sent them to several people, including the now-accused girl. She had taken benzodiazepine medication before the killing. After returning to her supervised shared flat, she called emergency services and confessed.

For offenders aged between 14 and 16, murder carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. The case will therefore be heard by a panel court rather than a jury court.