An Austrian woman has been convicted of fatally transmitting COVID-19 to her neighbor, resulting in his death. The court sentenced the 54-year-old to four months’ suspended imprisonment and fined her 800 euros ($886.75) for grossly negligent homicide.
The victim, a cancer patient, died of pneumonia caused by COVID-19. A virological analysis revealed a near-certain match between the virus DNA in the victim and the defendant, confirming that she was responsible for the transmission. An expert testified that the evidence strongly indicated the woman’s role in the infection.
During sentencing, the judge expressed sympathy, noting that similar situations likely occur frequently but emphasized that the evidence pointed almost definitively to the defendant as the source of the infection.
According to The Associated Press, this conviction marks the woman’s second COVID-related offense. Last summer, she was given a three-month suspended sentence for intentionally endangering others with the virus, though she was acquitted of grossly negligent homicide in that case.
The court heard from the deceased’s family, who claimed that the woman, despite her denial of being in the stairwell on the day of the infection, had indeed met the victim on December 21, 2021. The woman had asserted she was bedridden with what she believed was bronchitis, but her doctor reported she had tested positive for COVID-19 and had expressed a reluctance to isolate herself.
The verdict is not yet final, as local privacy rules prevent the release of the names of those involved.
