Father in the dock

Leon (6) death drama: dates set for trial

The dates for the trial in the case of six-year-old Leon, who was found dead in the Kitzbüheler Ache in St. Johann in Tirol in August 2022, have now been set. The boy's father, who was charged with murder in April, will then sit in the dock.

The murder trial against the 39-year-old father, who is urgently suspected of the crime, will start on July 17. A second trial day has been scheduled for August 1. This was announced by a spokeswoman for the Innsbruck Regional Court.

The public prosecutor's office in Innsbruck brought murder charges against the man at the end of April. The German also has to answer on suspicion of faking a punishable offense. If convicted, he faces up to life imprisonment. The defendant's defense recently waived an objection to the charges.

Father allegedly faked robbery
The case, which also made international headlines, was originally based on the assumption that the father had been robbed. The man was allegedly knocked unconscious with a bottle and robbed by a stranger on a promenade next to the Ache river that night. The six-year-old, who was in poor health, then allegedly got out of the baby carriage on his own, fell into the Ache and drowned there.

However, after months of intensive investigation, during which no hot lead for the alleged robber emerged, the 39-year-old was targeted and finally arrested at the end of February 2023. He is said to have killed the boy and faked the robbery. Concrete investigation results are said to incriminate him heavily.

Defence criticizes investigative work
The accused, however, always maintained his innocence and stuck to his account of a robbery. His lawyers also repeatedly criticized the investigative work of the police, the state criminal investigation department and the public prosecutor's office. For its part, the prosecution sharply rejected the accusations.