Stefanie Pieper, 32, an Austrian influencer, was killed and buried inside a suitcase in a wooded area near the Slovenian border by her ex-boyfriend, 31-year-old Patrick M. A detention hearing is underway for Patrick.
Police found Pieper’s body after arresting and questioning Patrick. After several rounds of interrogation, he confessed, saying the crime occurred following a heated argument. His defence lawyer, Astrid Wagner, said, “My client says he doesn’t understand how he could have been capable of something so terrible.”
Patrick has worked as a shipping clerk, waiter, part-time security guard and poker player, Kronen Zeitung reported. Wagner said, “My client is completely broken; he deeply regrets his crime. He can’t understand how he could have been capable of killing the woman he loved more than anything.”
He reportedly told his lawyer, “I didn’t want to do it, I didn’t want to do it” repeatedly, adding, “I was so shocked when I suddenly saw Stefi lying motionless in front of me.” He also said he carried out the cover-up while in a trance.
Patrick claimed Stefanie had let him into her apartment on the day she disappeared and that they had spent time together. Neighbours said the two had been separated for months and one heard them arguing; Patrick allegedly shouted, “You’ve ruined everything,” and she replied, “You can leave, but first, I want my money.”
A neighbour said, “She wanted to break up, he didn’t. Then he probably thought, ‘If I can’t have you, no one can.'” Other witnesses contradicted Patrick’s account, saying Stefanie had avoided him at a Christmas party the previous night and had texted her mother that she felt uneasy, as if someone was lurking in the stairwell.
After the killing, Patrick wrapped Stefanie’s body, put her in a suitcase and drove to a forest on the Austrian-Slovenian border, about an hour and a half from her home. He later returned to the apartment and pretended to be caring for her dog when police arrived.
