Horror in Marchtrenk

Ex-Wife: Nose Broken and Dog Beaten, Too

A picture-perfect facade of a happy marriage to the outside world—yet behind that door, in the unassuming gray row house, the mother (39) of a daughter endured a terrible ordeal.(Bild: Krone-Collage/zVg, Matthias Lauber/laumat.at, Krone KREATIV)

Behind the facade of the supposedly upstanding truck driver lie deep human abysses. The 51-year-old man from Upper Austria presented himself, on the one hand, as a devoted husband and father to a teenage daughter, while on the other hand, he chatted with an alleged rape accomplice about perverse violent fantasies.

The Marchtrenk man is alleged to have sold his wife for 500 euros and handed her over to strangers for abuse— the “Krone” uncovered the case on Wednesday. In the end, the 39-year-old woman was dead. Presumably abused to death.

A glimpse behind the facade and into the dark side of his personality— see also the analysis by profiler Patricia Staniek —is provided in this horrific case handled by the Wels Public Prosecutor’s Office by the testimony of the main suspect’s first wife, with whom he is currently in pretrial detention and has children. She describes how her husband was prone to violence in their relationship—and how she was also pressured by his family because of these accounts...

Even the family dog was so frightened it wet itself
“It got particularly bad after the birth of our youngest son,” the 48-year-old said in her testimony. It got to the point where she had to give away the family dog because it would wet itself out of sheer fear at the mere sight of the burly man. “Chipsi” was “beaten severely” by her husband over every little thing. The ex-wife spoke of “extreme abuse” of the animal.

Outwardly, the marriage appeared perfect—yet behind those doors in the unassuming gray townhouse, the mother (39) of one daughter endured a terrible ordeal.(Bild: Krone-Collage/zVg, Matthias Lauber/laumat.at, Krone KREATIV)

“He punched me in the face with both fists”
According to her, the man from Upper Austria wanted to act out his sexual desires with other couples. “But I was always against it and didn’t want that,” the ex-wife stated in her testimony. Then came a shocking incident that ultimately led to the divorce. After an invitation, her husband completely lost it. The mother: “As a result, he sat (...) on top of me and punched me in the face alternately with both fists. I had never seen him like that before. Eventually, he let go of me and went to sleep.”

Broken nose, bruised jaw
The next day, the doctor diagnosed a bruised jaw and cheekbone, as well as a broken nose. Shortly thereafter, they separated—and the violent fantasies became a deadly reality...

“You’d just hear an ambulance sometimes”
Meanwhile, the suburban neighborhood in Marchtrenk is reeling with disbelief and shock. A neighbor who lived next door to the prime suspect said, “We didn’t notice a thing. I was stunned when I read what had happened right next door to us. It was always very quiet over there; you’d only hear a pump sometimes.”