Money Woes Spark Austrian Killing Spree

Man Says He Axed His Family To Spare Them The Shame Of Financial Ruin

(AP)  Investigators discovered the bodies of five people Wednesday after a man turned up at a police station and calmly explained that he had killed his family to spare them the shame of his financial ruin, authorities said.

Officers found the bodies of the man's wife and 7-year-old daughter at the family's home in an affluent part of Vienna. Both had been bludgeoned by an ax, police said. The bodies of his parents and father-in-law later were found at their homes in Upper Austria province.

The 39-year-old man, a self-employed public relations consultant, told police he wanted to spare his family the shame of financial ruin caused through speculative financial dealings, criminal investigator Thomas Stecher said at a news conference.

Police said he started by killing his 42-year-old wife, who worked at the Finance Ministry, and daughter early Tuesday morning. His daughter's body was found in a walk-in closet and the wife in a bathroom, both draped with cloth, authorities said.

He then said he drove to Ansfelden in Upper Austria province, where he beat his parents - ages 72 and 69 - to death, police said. He told officers he went to Linz to kill his 80-year-old father-in-law in the evening.

"He is completely matter of fact ... almost without emotion," Stecher said.

The suspect, now undergoing further questioning in Vienna, indicated he had "massive money problems," Stecher said, saying he had borrowed money from family members. The total in question was a six-figure euro amount, he said.

Police were awaiting autopsy results to determine exactly how the victims died. Letters were found beside the bodies in Upper Austria, police said, declining to provide more details about their content.

He could face life in prison if charged and convicted for the killings, said Gerhard Jarosch, spokesman for the prosecutor's office.

[keithle1]

Better dead than broke.

[whatinthewld]

Austrians are no different than North Americans. In fact, I don''t think he stopped to pee on his victims.

I''d much rather live in any city in Austria than live on 117th street.

[whatinthewld]

Austrians are no different than North Americans. In fact, I don''t think he stopped to pee on his victims.

I''d much rather live in any city in Austria than live on 117th street.

[whatinthewld]

Austrians are no different than North Americans. In fact, I don''t think he stopped to pee on his victims.

I''d much rather live in any city in Austria than live on 117th street.

[whatinthewld]

Austrians are no different than North Americans. In fact, I don''t think he stopped to pee on his victims.

I''d much rather live in any city in Austria than live on 117th street.

[whatinthewld]

Austrians are no different than North Americans. In fact, I don''t think he stopped to pee on his victims.

[jd2408]

Strange he didn''t think it was that big a problem to kill himself did he ??

[susiegirl2]

I''ll choose the way of Jesus. He taught the love of money as being the root of all evil. I know that money can not buy happiness. Things bring you only an illusion of happiness and contentment.

[obamawhama]

Austria is better of getting rid of this moron who thinks that bludgeoning someone with an ax is way better off than the ''shame of being poor''...

man! we really have our priorities mixed up.

[columbiabro]

mnm421: I live in Austria. Austrians are not as racist as you believe, though some are. I think your characterization would upset a good many of them. Nonetheless, racism is an issue here.