Indeterminate sentence handed to the ‘Beast of Rupperswil’
A court drawing of the accused and his lawyer
Keystone
A 34-year-old man who confessed to slaughtering four people in the northern Swiss town of Rupperswil in December 2015 has been sentenced to an indeterminate prison term.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Deutsch
de
Lebenslänglich mit Verwahrung für Schweizer Vierfachmörder
On Friday, the Lenzburg district court decided to give the murderer a “normal imprisonment” which means he can still be released conditionally if he no longer presents a threat. The prosecution had called for a life sentence – where the condemned can only be released if new scientific information makes therapy possible – which the court did not grant.
The killer will have to undergo therapy in custody and pay CHF700,000 ($737,460) to the kin of the victims, as well as court costs amounting to CHF525,000. He cannot apply for a conditional release after 15 years of jail time. Only after serving around 20 years can his imprisonment be reevaluated on a regular basis. He can still appeal against the court’s verdict.
In one of the most gruesome criminal cases in Swiss history, the man entered a home and killed a woman, her two sons, and a girlfriend of one of the sons in a particularly vicious attack. After raping the 13-year-old son, the perpetrator slaughtered each of his victims. He was eventually arrested in May 2016 in a café in the canton of Aargau and accused of murder, extortion, kidnapping, hostage-taking, sexual acts on a minor, sexual constraint, arson, and pornography.
The accused confessed to the murders, and his fingerprints and DNA were found at the crime scene. He acted alone, did not know his victims, and had a clean criminal record.
Correction: The article first stated that the murderer had been handed a life sentence. This is technically incorrect and has been modified.
More
More
What does ‘life sentence’ mean in Switzerland?
This content was published on
The trial of a quadruple murderer has reignited the debate on lifelong imprisonment in Switzerland.
Media: Swiss medical services done abroad are billed at Swiss rates
This content was published on
In Switzerland, some medical services carried out abroad are still billed at Swiss rates, despite costing less, RTS reports.
This content was published on
Sophie Hediger, a member of the Swiss national snowboard cross team, has died in an avalanche in Arosa. She was 26 years old.
This content was published on
Several Swiss films exceeded the 100,000 admissions mark worldwide in 2024 and received widespread praise at international film festivals.
Swiss Alpine resorts covered in white gold for Christmas
This content was published on
Many areas at low altitudes in Switzerland are enjoying a blanket of snow. In the mountains, intense precipitation has delighted skiers.
SWISS makes emergency landing in Austria after smoke in cockpit
This content was published on
Swiss International Airlines (SWISS) made an emergency landing of an Airbus in Graz, Austria on Monday evening after engine problems.
L’Oréal acquires South Korean subsidiary of Migros’ cosmetics brand
This content was published on
French cosmetics firm L'Oréal is acquiring Gowoonsesang Cosmetics, the South Korean subsidiary of the Migros-owned Mibelle group, for an undisclosed sum.
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…
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.