Cobra police officer charged with murder of 34-year-old woman in Styria

The Staatsanwaltschaft Graz has filed an indictment against a 31-year-old member of the Cobra police unit for the murder of a 34-year-old woman from Tillmitsch. Prosecutors allege the officer strangled the victim with a belt in January and later concealed the body in a wooded area close to his parents’ house. While the accused rejects the charge of intentional homicide, he acknowledges burying the corpse.

He now faces a minimum ten-year prison term, potentially life imprisonment, although a court date has not yet been scheduled. The investigation also revealed allegations of theft of a fellow officer’s service weapon and unauthorized possession of firearms, which have been temporarily suspended but may be revived after the murder trial. The woman was reported missing the day after a meeting with the suspect, prompting a search that led to his arrest after inconsistencies in his statements.