Decision in Innsbruck

Decision made: Leon’s dad remains in custody

The defense of Leon's dad - who is suspected of having killed his son at the end of August 2022 - filed an application for his release from custody at the beginning of this week, the "Krone" reported. The judge made a decision early on Friday morning: The 39-year-old will remain in custody, his lawyer intends to appeal. 

At a press conference, Albert Heiss, Leon's dad's lawyer, presented a series of "investigative mishaps". He received support from Mathias Kapferer, legal counsel for Leon's mother.

Due to these "mishaps and mistakes", he submitted an application for release from custody on 26 February, Heiss said on Thursday and emphasized: "The urgent suspicion against the accused is no longer tenable. There is considerable evidence for the accuracy of the accused's statements, the motives were completely misjudged by the authorities." He hopes that the details will be "taken into account" in the decision of the magistrate. The public prosecutor's office in Innsbruck countered these accusations - even before the press conference began. 

Application rejected
This Friday, just one day later, Leon's dad was brought before the competent magistrate at Innsbruck Regional Court in the morning. The clear decision: Application dismissed, Leon's dad remains in custody because the urgent suspicion of murder and the offense of faking a crime still exists. Birgit Fink, spokeswoman for the Innsbruck Regional Court, emphasizes: "The current investigation results were taken into account by the detention judge."

Next detention review date is in May
His lawyer announced that he would lodge an appeal with the Innsbruck Higher Regional Court. The detention review hearing will take place in two months, i.e. in May. "In the meantime, the investigations will continue," emphasizes Fink. In May, the Innsbruck public prosecutor's office could also make a decision on any charges.