Ex-girlfriend murdered

Ex-girlfriend murdered: Life imprisonment!

The 26-year-old at the start of the trial in Feldkirch Regional Court(Bild: Dorn Chantall)

A young Spaniard beat his ex-girlfriend to death on the banks of the Bregenzer Ache in Vorarlberg. On the day of the verdict in the murder trial at Feldkirch Regional Court, witnesses reported a relationship characterized by violence. The 26-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Seven blows to the head. "The victim's face was completely smashed" - this was the finding of the medical report in the murder case of a 25-year-old woman at the Feldkirch Regional Court. The body was found days after September 4 last year by a neighbor at the foot of the Bregenzer Ache in Kennelbach. After an appeal for witnesses, the former boyfriend was finally arrested as a suspect.

Separated on the riverbank - alive
The 26-year-old stood before the jury for the second day and vehemently proclaimed his innocence. Although the two had met on the riverbank, they had separated again there - alive, the accused Spaniard said.

Possessive, aggressive and jealous
According to the public prosecutor's office, however, DNA, call data recordings and witness statements had linked him to the gruesome violent crime. The mother of the victim described the accused as possessive, aggressive and jealous. Other witnesses also painted a picture of an abusive relationship.

"A purely circumstantial trial", defense lawyer Manfred Keller was outraged several times, even on the day of the verdict. The verdict was handed down on Friday evening: life imprisonment. The jury unanimously found it proven that the defendant brutally beat his 25-year-old ex-partner to death with a long object in September 2024.

He also has to make payments to the victim's relatives totaling 110,000 euros. The verdict is not final.

"No other option"
In his reasons for the verdict, the judge emphasized the "extent of the violence" involved in the crime. The fact that the victim was the mother of the defendant's two children also had an aggravating effect. In view of these circumstances and the lack of a confession, there was "no other option" with regard to the life sentence, said the judge. The 26-year-old had denied killing the woman until the end.