Will the accused come?

Uncertainty before the trial of Christa P.

Christa P. died in one of the high-rise buildings in Ebelsberg in October of the previous year. This year in June, she was found in a field behind the farm.(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

Eight months of uncertainty for the family and investigative work. Then certainty: Christa P. (54) is dead, buried in a field in Linz-Ebelsberg. Now her acquaintance (44), with whom she spent her last night, is on trial. But will the 44-year-old even attend the trial?

On Tuesday, the acquaintance (44) of Christ P., with whom she spent the night and - according to an expert opinion - died of respiratory paralysis due to alcohol and Substitol, will have to answer to the Linz Regional Court.

The prosecution accuses him of stabbing an injured person and disturbing the peace of the dead. The first charge carries a higher sentence of up to three years than the charge of disturbing the peace of the dead, which carries a maximum of six months in prison.

The death of the woman from Linz is before the regional court on Tuesday.(Bild: Markus Wenzel, Krone KREATIV)

Accused often difficult to grasp
The trial has been scheduled for two hours, but there is still one major imponderable: will the accused turn up? If not, will the police be able to find and produce him quickly? Even during the investigations into the case, the unemployed 44-year-old, who was first a witness and then a defendant, was often difficult to get hold of.

At first, the accused had stated that Christa P. had slept with him, but then left. Later he admitted that he had found the mother of two dead and buried her 300 meters away in the field. But he is said to have called a friend four times when he realized that Christa P. was in a bad way. "She's just gasping," he said at 2.30 a.m. - but nobody called the ambulance.