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Three years ago, a 37-year-old Serb allegedly killed a compatriot and burned the body in the forest.
In July 2017, a walker discovered a charred male corpse in a forest near Pulvershaus in the canton of Thurgau. It quickly became clear to the police: the victim, a 41-year-old Serb, was killed. The man was a well known kickboxer in his homeland.
Now the alleged perpetrator, a 37-year-old Serbian, has appeared in the St. Gallen district court. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for murder. In addition, the court issued a conditional fine and expulsion from the country of 15 years. The defendant is said to have stayed and worked illegally in Switzerland. The verdict is not yet legally binding.
Victim trapped
The court accused the Serb of having obviously planned the crime, summoning the victim and luring her into a trap to kill him. Then he burned the body. Compelling evidence, such as DNA and blood traces, left no reasonable doubt about the perpetrator.
According to the indictment, the Serb wanted to get rid of the victim because of his debts. He borrowed money from his compatriot and played it on slot machines and online games. The victim is said to have operated a lucrative business with illegal ATMs and gambling.
Only the death of the financier solved his problem.
The perpetrator was unable to return the money. He knew that the donor would use force to claim the amount if necessary. “Only the death of the financier solved his problem,” the prosecutor said at Tuesday’s hearing. He asked for an 18-year prison sentence.
The accused denies the act
The defendant denied the fact and made no statements in court. His defense attorney requested the acquittal of the murder charge. At the sight of the tracks, everything spoke first against the accused. However, the traces cannot be reconciled with the statements of those involved.
There are enough other people who had a motive for the act. The defendant had been used as a decoy and the motive for the crime was constructed. Both the murder weapon and the car with which the body was disposed of were missing, argued the defense attorney.
The defense wants to move the judgment on
The court largely followed the prosecution in its verdict. He only acquitted the accused of two robberies for lack of evidence. Five people close to the victim received benefits of 5,000 to 25,000 Swiss francs. The convicted person was charged legal costs of more than 550,000 Swiss francs. The defense announced that it would take the decision to the next instance.
