Young mother sentenced

Death blow with bottle: “Wanted to protect baby”

A 25-year-old mother hit a 24-year-old in a shared flat in Favoriten on the head with this vodka bottle.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/A.Richter Zwefo zVg)

Trial after a fateful drama in a shared flat in Vienna-Favoriten: A young couple were visiting friends when an argument broke out. Because the later victim wanted to prevent the family from leaving, the young mother made a fatal decision in the presence of her young daughter - which cost the life of a flatmate and has now earned her a prison sentence, which is not legally binding.

After the 24-year-old was found dead in an apartment building in Vienna-Favoriten in August 2025, it quickly became clear that the young man had died from external causes, specifically from a blow to his head with a glass bottle - a fractured skull.

A couple were guests in the shared flat that evening with their six-month-old daughter. First the 25-year-old man confessed and was remanded in custody. Then a fiancée of the same age confessed. On Friday, both had to take a seat in the Vienna Landl: She for assault resulting in death, he for assault, both for making false statements.

My client deeply denies the incident and now wants to take care of his child.

Anwalt Sascha Flatz vertrat den Mitbeschuldigten

Bild: Eva Manhart

Victim did not appear to be seriously injured at first
The evening began peacefully - people ate, laughed and danced. "A lot of alcohol was probably consumed, especially vodka," says the public prosecutor, reporting that the mood suddenly changed. "The later victim is said to have provoked and insulted the guests." Fisticuffs ensued. "The victim was very, very aggressive," said the defense lawyer for the accused Hungarian from Sascha Flatz's law firm.

The couple then wanted to leave the apartment with the baby. The later victim is said to have stood in their way "screaming and threatening". She grabbed the glass bottle standing next to her and hit her. The victim is said to have grabbed his head, but did not appear to be seriously injured at first. The young man did not survive the night.

"Saw no other way out at the time"
"I could have reacted differently, I realize that. But I didn't see any other way out at the time. I just wanted him to stop and get out of the apartment. I wanted to protect my child," the woman told the judge. The false statements were made out of fear: "We were afraid that our daughter would be taken away from us."

The young father received a conditional eight-month sentence for the false evidence, while his fiancée received a partial three-year sentence for the fatal bottle attack. The woman has to serve eight months, not legally binding.