Linz: Court judgment in the case of Christa P. - Six months imprisonment for M.

Linz: Court judgment in the case of Christa P. - Six months imprisonment for M.

On Tuesday morning, a sensational negotiation against a 44-year-old man took place in Linz. The defendant, who was held responsible for "letting an injured person" and "disturbance of the dead rest", enters the courtroom with a hood pulled deep in the face and initially draws attention when he hesitantly comments on the charges. In front of the judge he admits to be guilty. But the circumstances that led to the allegations raise many questions.

The negotiation attracted a large audience, so that numerous spectators had to stand, while the relatives of Christa P. were clearly impatiently taking their position. The 55-year-old Linzer disappeared without a trace on October 14, 2023 after she was last seen in the accused's apartment. Eight months later, her body was found in a field in Ebelsberg after Mr. M. confessed to a relative that she had been buried there after her death.

The severe allegations

The prosecutor presents M. to have done everything wrong. He is accused of not making an emergency call when Christa P. had health problems in his apartment. Instead, he buried her in the field after she died. In court, M. had to face the devastating allegation of having acted properly when this tragedy developed.

In the court statements, it becomes clear that the exact circumstances of the night when Christa P. died are actually only known from the two participants. M. states that they consumed alcohol together and that he later took substitol, a medication that contains morphine. "I never thought that she died," he repeated several times in the course of the negotiation and asserted that he knew nothing about her possible drug use.

Another stressful point is that M. phoned three times that night with a friend and told him that Christa P. was no longer awakening. Although the friend advised to call an emergency doctor, there was no call. The friend weakens his statements in the course of the trial and describes M. as a mess of the circumstances of the incident.

The judge stated in her reasoning that Mr. M. had the opportunity to provide help, and the family of Christa P. left the unclear for months. In view of these facts, she imposed an additional penalty of six months, which added up to an existing prison sentence of 18 months. However, the judgment is not yet final.

After the verdict, the dissatisfaction among the relatives of Christa P. was clearly noticeable. A relative broke out at an emotional moment: "It is another stab in the heart of the family." The clarification of the many remaining questions, such as the whereabouts of Christa P.'s cell phone or the mysterious posts on their Facebook account months after their death, is left to the judiciary. The case is considered completed as soon as there is a final judgment, and until then the grief and resentment remains about the circumstances.

A deeper view shows again how tragically and complex the individual threads are interwoven in this case and which emotional wounds he leaves in the families concerned.