19.5 years in prison and inpatient treatment for murder in Basel
Published: Friday, Jun 14th 2024, 18:30
Back to Live Feed
On Friday, the Basel Criminal Court found a 25-year-old man guilty of murder and sentenced him to 19.5 years' imprisonment. It came to the conclusion that the perpetrator was "extremely brutal" in his fatal knife attack on a man on the Lysbüchel site and had acted against a random victim for no good reason.
"Anyone who acts like this with a knife is particularly ruthless," said the court president at the opening of the verdict. He had not attacked the 27-year-old man as part of an argument in which someone "pulls out a knife" - his victim was completely defenceless. Although the accused had admitted to using the knife, he had not made a "flawless confession" to the fatal stabbing and had shown little remorse.
The prison sentence is postponed in favor of inpatient psychiatric treatment. Custody is not an option in the opinion of the court. At the same time, the Croatian national is banned from the country for ten years. He must also pay the deceased's relatives a six-figure sum in compensation.
DNA and witness statements
The court relied on DNA traces on the knife that was found near the scene of the crime, but above all on the statements of several witnesses. It also examined the possibility that one of the accused's colleagues, who may have instigated the fight by slapping him in the face, could have been the perpetrator. However, the court ruled out this version in view of the available witness statements.
The overworked man, who was consuming large amounts of cocaine, alcohol and steroids at the time, was at a party with colleagues at the Lysbüchel site in August 2021. On the way back to the city, the group passed a night flea market where several men and women were selling their wares.
It is not clear why a verbal exchange took place there. However, the president of the court noted that there was a peaceful atmosphere at the flea market - no one was looking for trouble with passers-by. "The contrast to your group could not be greater," the judge said to the defendant.
Attempted murder several weeks earlier in Zurich
The court also convicted him of attempted murder. A few weeks before the crime in Basel, the defendant inflicted life-threatening injuries on another man in Zurich, cutting the back of his head with a knife. Without medical assistance, he would have died, as the court president noted. The court classified this act as attempted murder. The accused was "particularly ruthless" in this case and also pulled out the knife for no reason when his victim had already turned around, said the court president.
He was astonished that the Zurich public prosecutor's office did not investigate the man, who already had a criminal record for violent crimes, when he came under suspicion after the murder weapon was found on the basis of a fingerprint. "They should have taken the next step", said the court president about the Zurich public prosecutor's office.
The young Croatian is also convicted of simple assault and violations of the Narcotics Act. He was acquitted of the offense of stealing several cell phones. The verdict is not yet final.
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic