Mysterious crime in Vienna

Dead 24-year-old in shared flat: bottle crime without a trace

Young man died in shared flat in Vienna-Favoriten after fatal blow with this vodka bottle(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Zwefo, zVg)

First the roommate came under suspicion, then the husband of the couple who were friends and guests in the shared flat in Favoriten that evening in August confessed to having struck the victim with the fatal blow with the vodka bottle. In the end, the wife took the blame. It is now clear that "Detective DNA" was unable to help in the unusual case of the 24-year-old who was killed. 

The killing of a 24-year-old in a residential building in Vienna-Favoriten in August has left investigators puzzled. As reported by the "Krone" newspaper, there is said to have been an argument between the young man and his flatmate. This was described by a married couple who were friends, who were guests of the couple on the evening of the crime along with their baby - and who later came under suspicion of murder themselves.

The inconclusive analysis of the traces on the bottle confirmed my client's innocence.

Anwalt Sascha Flatz vertritt den Ehemann.

At first, the husband confessed that he had hit the victim on the head with the empty vodka bottle that they had drunk together. However, the man was still alive when he left the house with his family. However, the 24-year-old was released from custody when his wife suddenly confessed to the blow that led to his death.

DNA quantities too small to assign them
DNA traces seized from the vodka bottle should have provided clues about the mysterious crime - but no such luck.

According to the expert opinion on the trace material submitted, the DNA traces found on the bottle could not be assigned to either the husband (24) who was first accused or his wife of the same age. "Due to insufficient DNA quantities and insufficient quality, it was not possible to create a DNA profile that would allow a comparison with individuals," the forensic report states verbatim.