Real estate agent in Linz killed

Whispered words on a cell phone “sabotage” murder investigation

The murder of a Linz real estate agent remains unsolved to this day.(Bild: Jürgen Pachner)

Was it a brilliant move by the killer or pure coincidence? In their search for the “needle,” the Upper Austrian State Criminal Police found themselves in an unexpectedly large haystack of data. For while a Linz real estate agent (49) was tortured to death in his apartment on January 17, the rich and beautiful were dancing at the CV Ball just 500 meters from the crime scene.

Ministers, former and current state governors, bank executives, master pastry chefs, hospital directors, etc.—investigators in the murder case involving a Linz real estate agent (49) have found unexpected names on the list of cell phones that logged into cell towers covering the crime scene on the night of the incident.

While an agent was being tortured in the penthouse apartment on Harrachstraße on the night of January 17, the elite were dancing at the CV Ball in the Palais Kaufmännischer Verein, 480 meters away. And so the cell phones of hundreds of ball guests were logged in for hours—as, investigators hope, were perhaps also the killers’ cell phones.

The murder of a Linz real estate agent remains unsolved to this day.(Bild: Jürgen Pachner)

Laborious filtering
Investigators are attempting to filter out phone numbers that are not typically registered at that location for such a long period during the suspected time of the crime, which likely spanned several hours, in hopes of identifying suspects.

While the city’s elite were dancing at the CV Ball, one of the most brutal murders of recent years took place barely 500 meters away.(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

Was it intentional?
In this search for a needle in a haystack, the police’s data experts are dealing with an unexpectedly large pile due to the ball. Whether the perpetrators intended this or it was an unfortunate coincidence is, like so much in this case, speculation.

The victim’s cell phone is gone
It is now also clear that during the ball’s buzz, the murder victim’s cell phone went silent and has never been activated again—it was taken by the perpetrators, leaving investigators without crucial evidence. This is because it can be assumed that the 49-year-old, who was also active in the drug and red-light districts, sent confidential messages via nearly unbreakable messaging services.

Requests for legal assistance are underway
Due to a lack of legal options, the police have now submitted requests for legal assistance to the providers of internet messaging services to obtain information on when the real estate agent spoke or messaged whom. However, most of these providers are based in the U.S. and are known for their discretion.