Woman sentenced to 2.5 years for stabbing sleeping man in Vienna

A Vienna court has sentenced a 35-year-old woman to two and a half years in prison for stabbing a 66-year-old man in the neck while he slept. The attack, which occurred in January 2026, resulted in severe damage to the man's trachea, esophagus, and thyroid gland, though he survived. The woman, who had been living with the victim, claimed she "accidentally stabbed the gentleman" and attributed her actions to excessive alcohol consumption, stating she drinks a bottle of vodka daily. She admitted to not knowing what she was doing due to intoxication.

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She wanted to make food. She needed support in the kitchen. I stayed in bed. Then she stabbed me.

The court also ordered her committal to a forensic-therapeutic center. A psychiatric expert testified that the woman was in a state of severe intoxication and therefore not fully accountable at the time of the stabbing. Years of chronic alcohol abuse have led to a significant personality change, according to the expert. Consequently, she was not charged with attempted murder but with committing a crime while in a state of severe intoxication.

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I drank too much and stabbed him by chance.

The indictment also included two other violent assaults on elderly women. In November 2025, she struck a 77-year-old woman on the head with a plastic bag containing a hard object. In December, she attacked an 87-year-old woman, knocking her down, taking her walking stick, and hitting her with it before kicking her and pulling out hair.

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I didn't know what I was doing. Alcohol is my only problem. I drink a bottle of vodka daily.