The trial opens on Tuesday of a man accused of the December 2015 murder of a woman, two boys, and a girl. According to prosecutors, the accused was planning further murders when captured.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/dos
The murders took place in Rupperswil, in the northern canton of Aargau, after what the charge sheet has described as the meticulous planning of the (now) 34-year-old accused.
Some months before the crime, the man, who had been aware of his own paedophilic tendencies for years, purchased his weapon, a 30cm kitchen knife, and made several reconnaissance trips in the neighbourhood of the deceased.
False ID
Using a false letter and identity card presenting himself as a school psychologist, he called to the house of the victims shortly before 8am, and was welcomed in to have a conversation with the mother (48) and her 13-year-old son.
He then forced (with the knife) the mother to tie up her elder son and his girlfriend, before sending the former to two banks to withdraw money. When she returned, he tied her up too. He sexually abused the 13-year-old boy, while recording everything.
After killing all four by cutting their throats, he set the house on fire using lamp oil, before returning to his own residence to shower. He later went for a walk with his mother and met friends in Zurich for dinner.
Some days later, it is also reported, the accused also started plans to undertake a similar operation, and searched online for images of children resembling the boy he had abused. He found two families, one in canton Solothurn and the other in canton Bern, and prepared more fake identification in preparation of visiting them.
He was eventually arrested in May 2016 in a café in Aargau. In the trial that opens Tuesday, he is accused of murder, extortion, kidnapping, hostage-taking, sexual acts on a minor, sexual constraint, arson, and pornography.
The accused has already confessed to the murders, and his fingerprints and DNA were found at the crime scene. He acted alone, did not know his victims, and has a clean criminal record.
The trial is expected to run until Friday.
More
More
Media fascinated with ‘the Beast of Rupperswil’
This content was published on
The German-language paper Blick reported on Saturday that the prosecutor’s remand request had been approved ahead of the expected Sunday deadline, crowing: “The Beast of Rupperswil is already sitting in custody!” In addition to the facts of the case, the most-discussed topic in the Swiss media is the suspect’s personal history, given that he was…
Young undocumented migrants gain easier access to vocational training
This content was published on
Rejected asylum-seekers and young undocumented migrants in Switzerland will have easier access to basic vocational training from June 1.
Migration: Swiss government wants to shorten reunification period for families
This content was published on
Family members of people temporarily admitted to Switzerland should in future be able to join them after two years instead of three.
This content was published on
2023 was a record year for the Rhaetian Railway in several respects. Never before has the narrow-gauge railway in Graubünden, eastern Switzerland, transported so many passengers and cars.
Swiss CFOs much more optimistic despite global uncertainty
This content was published on
The main concerns of business leaders in Switzerland are geopolitical uncertainty and the important trading partners Germany and China.
Record organ donation in Switzerland despite high rejection rates
This content was published on
More organ donations were recorded in Switzerland in 2023 than ever before. This was despite a high rejection rate of 58% by surviving relatives.
This content was published on
Seven years after the death of record-breaking Swiss mountain climber Ueli Steck, his estate is going to the Alpine Museum of Switzerland in Bern.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Police arrest murderer of four in Aargau
This content was published on
The detainee, a 33-year-old Swiss man residing in Rupperswil in northern Switzerland, has already confessed to the murders, and his fingerprints and DNA were found at the crime scene. The arrest was the culmination of the efforts of a 40-strong special commission of cantonal police, which led a large investigation that included raids. “Financial and…
This content was published on
In announcing the sentence, the court in Renens, part of the canton of Vaud, said it had no doubt that the man, known as Claude D., is an extremely dangerous psychopath who is beyond treatment. He was convicted of kidnapping, sexually abusing and strangling a 19-year-old woman named Marie in 2013. Their full names are…
This content was published on
On Thursday, the convict met his therapist for their weekly horse riding therapy session. On the way to the session, the therapist stopped with the suspect at a knife store in Geneva because he had received permission from prison officials to purchase a special knife in order to clean out horses’ hooves. He is suspected of…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.