VIENNA — A woman in Austria was convicted of fatally infecting her neighbor with COVID-19 in 2021, her second pandemic-related conviction in a year, according to local media. A judge on Thursday sentenced the 54-year-old man to four months’ suspended imprisonment and a fine of 800 euros ($886.75) for homicide by gross negligence.
The victim, also suffering from cancer, died of pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, according to the Austrian news agency APA. A virological report showed the virus’s DNA matched both the deceased and the 54-year-old woman, proving the accused had transmitted it “almost 100 percent”, an expert told the court.
“I feel sorry for you personally — I think something like this has probably happened hundreds of times,” the judge said Thursday. “But you’re unlucky that an expert determined with almost absolute certainty that it was an infection coming from you.”
While the judge pronounced the sentence on Thursday, the APA indicated that the verdict was not yet final. The names of the victim and the accused have not been released, in accordance with Austrian confidentiality rules.
