Overview
- The trial began at the Landgericht Deggendorf on Thursday with the 39‑year‑old defendant remaining silent at the opening while his lawyer said he will give an account later in the proceedings.
- Prosecutors allege the two female victims were killed to satisfy the defendant’s sexual drive and that the male victim was murdered to conceal those killings, and they say Heimtücke (treachery), cruelty and other aggravating murder characteristics are present.
- Court filings and reports describe extreme violence and mutilation, including strangulation or blows to the head, dismemberment, a torso wrapped in foil and hidden in a refrigerator, and body parts placed in a sports bag and left in a forest.
- The court expects to hear 34 witnesses and several forensic experts across about ten hearing days, with prosecutors presenting physical and forensic evidence and a possible verdict set for 19 November 2026.
- Families of the victims are participating as Nebenkläger and courtroom testimony has shown deep personal harm; the defendant, a Slovak national who surrendered to police in Austria in mid‑2025, has spent about 15 months in custody and his defence stresses recent drug abstinence as relevant to his planned testimony.