Probe launched after alleged murder by Swiss psychiatric patient

The probe was announced on Monday Keystone/Georgios Kefalas

An external investigation has been launched following an alleged murder committed by a patient at the University Psychiatric Clinic in Basel.

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The alleged murderer was being treated at the clinic after being convicted of two previous murders.

The team treating the alleged murderer, who is accused of committing the act during an unaccompanied outing, is “deeply affected” after the murder of a 75-year-old woman in Basel on Thursday, the clinic’s director told a press conference.

The head of Basel-City’s health department, Lukas Engelberger, and the head of the security department, Stephanie Eymann, offered their condolences to the victim’s relatives.

“If the strong suspicions are confirmed, it is true that as a canton we were unable to assume our responsibility, I regret this,” said Lukas Engelberger.

The suspect, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and personality disorders, was arrested on Friday afternoon. He is a repeat offender. He had been placed in the clinic after attacking his brother in a fit of rages in 2005.

In 2014, he escaped from the clinic and killed two women. He was convicted in 2015 and committed to the clinic.

Since 2017, the man has benefited from relaxing measures. These relaxations start with accompanied outings within the clinic grounds and extend to time-limited unaccompanied outings outside.

When a person has committed a serious offence, a medical assessment is carried out by the treating medical profession to evaluate the potential danger before authorising an unaccompanied outing.

This was not the first time the suspect had been granted an unaccompanied exit.

Translated from French by DeepL/mga

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