Strangled and buried

Jenni S.’s killer goes on trial after eight years

An all-day vigil for the murdered 21-year-old is being held in front of the Vienna Regional Court.(Bild: Krone-Collage/Mario Urbantschitsch, LPD Wien)

At the very least, this marks the conclusion—in criminal terms—of a harrowing and gruesome case. On Thursday, Clemens T. will stand trial before a jury in Vienna. On January 22, he strangled his ex-girlfriend and buried her in the woods. Jenni S. remained missing for eight years...

It has now been eight and a half years since Jenni S. disappeared without a trace from her apartment in Vienna’s Brigittenau district. A horrific and emotionally charged case that is now set to come to a close at the Vienna Regional Court—in a murder trial against Clemens T. On January 22, he strangled the then-21-year-old and buried her on a military training ground in Lower Austria. 

Unable to Accept the Breakup
Where Jenni S. remained undiscovered for years. It was only through the efforts of her family—especially her mother—that the 33-year-old man was ultimately convicted in late 2025. The landscape gardener who refused to accept that the young woman had broken up with him. And who subsequently murdered her. “His left forearm was wrapped around her neck, and with his right arm he pinned her right arm to her stomach,” according to the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office. “She desperately tried to catch her breath.”

Jenni S. and Clemens T.—before the unimaginable act of violence.(Bild: Martina Prewein, Andi Schiel)

During the preliminary investigation, Clemens T.—who had already changed his name in the meantime—tried to claim it was self-defense or an accident. At one point, he claimed he couldn’t remember anything at all. Another time, he spoke of voices.

According to an expert opinion, Clemens T. is dangerous
In any case, he now stands before the jury charged with murder. A psychiatric evaluation diagnoses the 33-year-old with a combined personality disorder—emotionally unstable, explosive, and narcissistic. He exhibits controlling and clingy behavior in relationships. For example, he secretly filmed Jenni S. with a camera. A key factor: “Aggressive-affective outbursts in the context of a relationship when its end is imminent,” according to the court-appointed psychiatrist. 

Such behavior can only be explained by the fact that the defendant was completely unmoved by Jenni S.’s death.

Staatsanwaltschaft Wien

His behavior after the crime is also deeply disturbing. Not only did Clemens T. live a lie for eight years, but just hours after the murder, he messaged the next woman on social media. In the days that followed, the number of messages kept increasing. The prosecution’s conclusion: “Such behavior can only be explained by the fact that the defendant was completely unmoved by the death of Jenni S.”

But this is not the case for the large number of people expected in Courtroom 103 at the Vienna Regional Court. In addition to dozens of media representatives, volunteers who repeatedly launched search operations for the 21-year-old and Jenni S.’s relatives are also expected to attend. An all-day vigil will be held in front of the “Graues Haus.” At least this marks the conclusion of the criminal proceedings in a horrific case after more than eight years...