Marchtrenk investigators examine chats in fatal sexual abuse case

Prosecutors are investigating several men for suspected sexual abuse in the death of a 39-year-old woman in Marchtrenk, Upper Austria, ORF reported. The woman died from severe injuries sustained in the abuse, according to the Wels public prosecutor’s office.

Prosecutors described the case as unprecedented in its brutality. The woman’s 51-year-old husband is the main suspect and is said to have admitted the act to police immediately afterwards.

Investigators believe the husband made his wife incapable of acting by getting her heavily intoxicated on the day of the incident. They are examining chat messages between him and another 51-year-old acquaintance, who allegedly supplied the alcohol and received information about the woman’s condition.

The acquaintance is also suspected of having abused the woman together with her husband before the fatal incident. The prosecutor’s office said he had confessed and expressed remorse. If convicted, he faces between five and 15 years in prison.

A third man is also under investigation. According to prosecutors, he was supposed to abuse the woman on the day she died but was disinvited at short notice. He remains at liberty.

Investigators are now examining whether there were further offences in the past. Specially trained forensic experts are analysing existing and deleted chat messages on the husband’s phone, a process that could take considerable time.

Karin Raab, head of the Linz women’s shelter, said social media could also have played a role in broader social developments linked to the case. She referred to widespread misogynistic tendencies and the “dehumanisation of women” on social media, saying such developments needed to be examined closely.

Prosecutors are also investigating whether the husband may have demanded money for sexual assaults on his wife. The allegation is based on a witness statement referring to sums of up to 500 euros.