Poison attack trial: 20 years in prison for woman after attempted murder

A woman tried to poison her rich husband in Austria. He survived, but quickly became completely blind. Now the 32-year-old has to die in prison for 20 years.

Verdict — In Austria, a woman was convicted of attempting to murder her husband. (Symbolic image) – keystone

In Austria, a 32-year-old woman was sentenced to 20 years in prison for two counts of attempted murder. The Korneuburg regional court found it proven that she tried to kill her former partner, a 42-year-old farmer, out of greed with a poisonous drink and with cuts in the forearm.

The wealthy man barely survived both attacks, but quickly went completely blind after consuming the drink – a mixture of methanol and so-called magic mushrooms. The defendants, who were appointed as sole heirs by the victim, denied the intention to kill. The decision is not final.

Methanol in the cocktail quickly causes victims to go blind

According to the court, the first attempted murder occurred in the summer of 2022. At a party, the 42-year-old drank a drink given by his partner in one go. According to the prosecution, the methanol in the cocktail quickly caused the man to go blind, and since then his eyes have only had poor vision.

In November 2022, he finally received sleeping pills that the defendants declared to be dietary supplements. According to the verdict, while he was deeply asleep, the suspect cut the man in his forearm in order to simulate suicide.

The expert certified that the 32-year-old was sane, but also had a personality disorder. She is dealing with “a very serious form of lying”. In addition to imprisonment, the accused must pay the victim around 193,000 euros.