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Trial opens in Switzerland for murder case of school caretaker

Charged with murder after shots fired on school playground in Maggia Valley
Charged with murder after shots fired on school playground in Maggia Valley Keystone-SDA

The trial of a man who allegedly killed a 41-year-old man with three shots in the Maggia Valley in southern Switzerland in May 2023 begins on Monday at the criminal court in Ticino. Two other people are accused of aiding and abetting the murder.

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The shooting took place on May 11, 2023 at the Ronchini school in Aurigeno in the Maggia Valley. According to the Ticino public prosecutor’s office, the main charges in the trial against the man from Ticino are murder, possible intentional homicide and endangering the lives of others.

The man, who lives in the Locarno area, is also accused of wilful arson. According to the Ticino public prosecutor’s office, several bottles containing flammable material were found in a meadow in Aurigeno at the end of September 2022.

In addition to the main defendant, a 33-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman have also been charged. Both are accused of assisting in the sale of the pistol to the man in different capacities.

The 33-year-old is also accused of other crimes. Among other things, he is accused of multiple counts of theft, multiple counts of aiding and abetting aggravated theft, multiple counts of trespassing and multiple counts of damage to property. The man is alleged to have committed these offences since 2019.

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

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