Cruel fate

Marchfeld crime: murder charges brought

At the end of January, the suspected compatriot of the victim confessed.(Bild: zVg, BARBARA BUCHEGGER / APA / picturedesk.com, Krone KREATIV)

Beaten to death, dismembered, dumped in the Marchfeld canal - the tragic fate of 45-year-old Peyman N. made headlines far beyond Austria's borders. A compatriot of the Iranian victim confessed to the crime at the end of January. Murder charges have now been brought against the suspect.

The body parts found - first by an angler and then by police divers - in the Marchfeld Canal near Vienna's Donauinsel leisure oasis at the end of January were a homicide. Two weeks after the crime, a compatriot of the Iranian victim confessed. A murder charge has now been brought against the suspect.

The events in fast-forward: In mid-January, on a quiet Saturday afternoon, an experienced fisherman decided to try his luck in the Schwarzlackenau in the Floridsdorf district.

Beaten to death, sawn up and disposed of like garbage
After a short time, the man pulled a severed and badly decomposed lower leg out of the water. Shocked, the angler raised the alarm with the police and the investigation began.

After an angler pulled one of the victim's lower legs ashore in January, police divers were able to recover more body parts.(Bild: zVg)

In the hours and days that followed, more and more body parts were recovered from the area of the Marchfeld Canal. A DNA analysis quickly brought clarity: the victim was a 45-year-old Iranian man who had been reported missing by his ex-wife in November.

The autopsy finally confirmed the act of violence - Peyman N. was beaten to death, cut up in a bestial manner and disposed of in the freezing cold canal like garbage.

Peyman N.'s partner - deal fell through
The criminalists' trail led them to the 13th district of Vienna, where the father of a daughter lived until his disappearance. The investigation later extended to the victim's private and professional environment. They finally came to a successful end in the Lower Austrian district of Mistelbach, north of the capital.

The handcuffs then clicked for a 38-year-old compatriot of the victim. The alleged perpetrator is said to be an associate of Peyman N.. He was targeted by the murder investigators from the very beginning.

According to reports, the two wanted to set up a removal company and the suspect is said to have invested around 50,000 euros in the business. But success did not materialize and the deal fell through. When the investor wanted his share back, a dispute is believed to have broken out. The motive for the murder therefore seems clear - it was about money.

After his arrest, the 38-year-old was interrogated for hours by investigators from the State Office of Criminal Investigation. They were finally able to elicit a confession from him. The Iranian admitted to killing and dismembering his compatriot and business partner. Murder charges have now been brought against the suspect.