A man was convicted on Thursday the 19th of letting his girlfriend die of hypothermia on Austria’s highest mountain last year. According to BBCthe climber, identified as Thomas P., was sentenced to five months in prison on probation and paid a fine of €9,600 (around R$58,840 at the current rate). Thomas can still appeal the decision.
Wanted by BBCthe court responsible for the trial stated, in a note, that it took into account the climber’s criminal record and the fact that he had lost a loved one as mitigating factors, in addition to the extensive discussion of the case on social media, considered “incriminating” for the defendant.
Thomas maintained during the trial that he was innocent, that he loved his girlfriend and that the outing had been planned together. The defense claimed that the couple faced a difficult and stressful situation.
Continues after advertising
The case occurred in January 2025. On the 18th of that month, Thomas and his girlfriend, Kerstin G., tried to climb Grossglockner, the highest mountain in the country. The weather conditions were severe, with temperatures of -8ºC, a wind chill of -20ºC and winds of up to 74 km/h.
According to the BBCprosecutors said the couple became trapped on the mountain around 8:50 p.m., but that Thomas did not attempt to call for help at that time. At 10:30 pm, a police helicopter flew over the region, but, according to the accusation, it again did not issue a distress call.
The defense claimed that the couple did not request help because they still felt well and were close to the peak of Grossglockner. According to the lawyers, Kerstin began to feel unwell shortly after and asked her boyfriend to seek help at around 12:35 am on January 19th.
At this point, divergent versions emerge: the rescuers claim to have received a call from Thomas, but he said it was not an emergency; the defense, in another report, claims that he never stated that the situation was under control.
At around 2am, Thomas left Kerstin alone, climbed to the peak of the mountain and climbed down the other side. He said his girlfriend was standing on the slope, but she was found by rescuers upside down on a rock wall. According to one of the judges, the position of the body indicates the possibility of a fall.
The necroscopic examination confirmed that Kerstin’s cause of death was hypothermia. Evidence of viral pneumonia and traces of the painkiller ibuprofen were also found in his body. The report, however, was unable to determine whether the disease compromised his physical capacity or contributed to the sudden worsening of his health condition.
Continues after advertising
One of the judges assessed that Thomas was more experienced and skilled in mountaineering than Kerstin and that the couple should have retreated when they realized the adverse conditions. The young woman’s parents stated that their daughter had been mountaineering since 2020 and that she would not have acted recklessly.
Despite considering that Thomas misjudged the situation, the magistrate concluded that he did not abandon his girlfriend “deliberately”. “I don’t see him as a murderer, I don’t see him as someone without a heart,” said the judge in an excerpt of the decision published by BBC.
During the trial, an ex-girlfriend of Thomas, identified as Andrea B., also gave testimony. She stated that she had been abandoned by the climber during a climb on Grossglockner in 2023, when she was tired, dizzy and had the motorcycle’s headlights turned off. According to Andrea, while she cried, Thomas would have moved on and left her behind.
