Fatal shots

Autopsy and investigation in the Oberkappel case

The small village of Oberkappel was the scene of a bloody tragedy on Saturday. Two men ended up dead.(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

The fatal jealousy drama in Oberkappel, which shook the whole country on Saturday, is still being closely investigated. The investigation is still ongoing. In the end, however, the case is dropped because the perpetrator is already dead.

Two dead men, two children (14 and 18 years old) who are now half-orphans and a traumatized woman - the country was shaken by another bloody crime at the weekend. The 44-year-old Benjamin R. from Gottsdorf in Bavaria shot 51-year-old Kurt H. in the Mühlviertel municipality of Oberkappel - with six shots from a pistol.

Raging jealousy
The reason: Benjamin R. and his wife (43) were divorcing, Kurt H. was the wife's new boyfriend. Benjamin R., a passionate hunter, must not have been able to cope with this. On Saturday, after a brief conversation with his ex, he shot Kurt H. and fled back to Germany, where he committed suicide.

An autopsy has been ordered
Although the case seems quite clear-cut, the investigation is still ongoing. "We have to be able to rule out the possibility that someone else was involved. There will be another expert opinion and the bodies will have to be autopsied," Reinhard Huemer-Steiner, spokesman for the public prosecutor's office, explained to the "Krone" newspaper. The autopsy should be completed by Tuesday at the latest. Further witnesses will also be questioned before a final report is drawn up.

Only then - if there are no surprises - will the case be finally closed. Because since the perpetrator is already dead, he cannot be prosecuted.