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In 2019, a man lured his colleague into a cave and buried them. The Aargau Higher Court has now made a judgment.
- On Monday, the Aargau Higher Court rejected the appeal in the so-called “cave murder” at Bruggerberg.
- It remains a prison sentence of a good 19 years and an inpatient measure.
- In 2019, a young man locked his colleague in a sandstone cave on Bruggerberg (AG) and left him there.
- The victim froze to death in the cave and was later found by chance.
The district court’s sentence went far beyond the prosecutor’s request, so the defense moved forward with the sentence. 19 years and 2 months in prison for murder and attempted murder was the verdict of the Brugg district court in 2022. It ordered so-called minor detention for the now 25-year-old man: an inpatient therapeutic measure. It remains that way now.
What happened back then?
The two men went on trips together. Before the murder in Aargau they went hiking in Ticino. There the perpetrator pushed his colleague down a steep slope. He was slightly injured. The district court classified the incident as attempted murder.
Legend:
Today the small cave is buried. When the victim crawled in, the entrance was about 20 centimeters high.
SRF
A short time later, as a “challenge,” he ordered his colleague to crawl into a sandstone cave in Bruggerberg (AG) without a cell phone. Then he buried the cave entrance and left his colleague behind. Even when he panicked, he didn’t react. The victim died of frostbite.
The defense had initially demanded 12 years in prison; the public prosecutor demanded 16 years. The perpetrator accepted the guilty verdict for murder on Bruggerberg, but not that for attempted murder in Ticino.
What was the motive for the murder?
Even before the Brugg district court, the perpetrator said little about his thoughts. He often couldn’t remember what happened in the higher court. When the chief judge asked why he committed the crime, the accused replied: “I don’t know either. You don’t do something like that.”
Legend:
The perpetrator at the first instance hearing before the Brugg district court in 2022. He was at risk of reoffending, an expert said on March 25, 2024 before the Aargau Higher Court.
Erika Bardakci-Egli / SRF
The expert who was questioned before the High Court said that the prognosis was very “unfavorable”. The young man could definitely relapse.
His behavior in the psychiatric clinic and in prison was “problematic”. For example, he attacked someone with a knife in Deitingen prison.
He had also refused therapy offers over the last five years, the expert said. The man probably needs medical treatment.
He says himself that he has psychological problems. Experts agree with him – among other things, a first expert diagnosed ADHD and a personality disorder. Schizophrenia was also diagnosed in the higher court by a second expert.
The verdict is not yet legally binding. It can still be taken to the Federal Court.