Austria: 3 men convicted in rape, death of 13-year-old girl

BERLIN (AP) — An Austrian court has convicted three Afghan men for the rape and death of a 13-year-old girl whose body was found dumped next to a tree in Vienna last year in a case that shocked the Alpine nation.

The Austria Press Agency reported Friday that the main defendant, a 24-year-old, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Two other Afghans aged 20 and 19 were found guilty of murder by omission for failing to help the girl after she overdosed on drugs.

The younger man was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while the older man received a 19-year sentence. All three men were convicted of rape.

The court concluded that the men had given the girl drugs with the intention of raping her. An autopsy found she died as a result of the drug overdose and suffocation.

The killing prompted strong condemnation and tough talk from the country’s leader on crimes committed by migrants. The younger men were asylum seekers at the time of the crime, while the main defendant had had his protected status revoked as a result of three convictions that included one for robbery.

Then-chancellor Sebastian Kurz said at the time that authorities would ensure the perpetrators were “punished with the full force of the law.”

“I find it intolerable for people come to us, say they are seeking protection and then commit cruel, barbaric crimes in Austria,” he said.