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Euthanasia or murder? Winemaker not pleading guilty

The well-known winemaker from Styria in court(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Anja Richter Stock Adobe)

In St. Pölten, a 58-year-old winegrower is standing trial for allegedly killing a 71-year-old widow in her villa on March 7, 2025. “He slipped her a lethal medication disguised as an antacid,” says the prosecutor, who is convinced of the Styrian man’s guilt. The defendant insists that the woman wanted to die.

At 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., she took two stomach-protecting tablets each time, the defendant told the St. Pölten Regional Court. Then they watched TV together, drank a shandy, and talked. “Around 11 p.m., she pointed to the cabinet and said, ‘Will you get me the medicine now?’”

He dissolved the medication—which he had previously obtained from the pharmacy for approved assisted suicide—made the sign of the cross on her forehead, gave her a kiss, and left the room. Then the 58-year-old, who is heavily in debt and has a prior conviction for “wine adulteration,” fell asleep. – That is the account of the well-known Styrian winemaker, who has been on trial for murder since Thursday. 

The prosecutor paints a different picture of March 7, 2025, the day the wealthy widow died in her villa in Lower Austria.

The well-known Styrian winemaker on trial(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Anja Richter Stock Adobe)

Was a lethal drug “slipped” into her drink?
It is true that the 71-year-old had obtained a living will following a stroke and the death of her dog. But: “Our investigation has revealed that the victim had no intention of dying on March 7, 2025,” the prosecutor explains to the jury: “She was feeling better, had made appointments extending into April, and was interested in a spot in a nursing home.”

The woman had also reconciled with her daughter, whom she had once disinherited in favor of the winemaker, with whom she had fallen in love after buying a horse. “That’s when the defendant got nervous.” He “tricked” the woman into believing she was taking a stomach-protecting treatment and “slipped” her the lethal substance. A caregiver for the elderly woman, who became suspicious, provided incriminating evidence against the winemaker.

“Our client had no motive,” countered defense attorneys Bernhard Lehofer and Michael Dohr. After all, as early as 2022, the woman had gifted her properties to their client and named him as her heir. 

However, the widow had a lifetime right of residence on the property. “Just two days after her death, he hired a real estate agent to look at the property,” said the prosecutor. Postponed until Friday.