September 25, 2021 - A press conference related to the overnight Zagreb child deaths of the three children of Austrian Harald Kopitz has taken place.
Reporting on the story so far:
Austrian Father Kills 3 Kids in Zagreb, Cites Masons on Facebook
What We Know about Harald Kopitz, Austrian Father Who Killed His 3 Kids
Below is the transcript in full courtesy of Index.hr.
HARALD KOPITZ, a 56-year-old Austrian from Vienna who lives and works in Zagreb, killed his three children last night in the Mlinovi neighborhood. He strangled twins at the age of seven and a son at the age of four. He then posted a message on Facebook and then tried to kill himself by poisoning.
His friend, who saw a farewell message on Facebook, informed the police about a possible suicide attempt. When police arrived at the crime scene, they found Kopitz and three dead children.
Kopitz was immediately transferred to the KBC Sisters of Mercy hospital, where doctors fought for his life. He is stable now. He faces up to 50 years in prison.
State Secretary at the Ministry of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Policy Margareta Madjeric convened a press conference on the murder.
She made a statement at the beginning.
"We are shocked. It is completely incomprehensible what happened. The situation is terrible. I express my sincerest condolences, primarily to the mother, but also to the whole family," she said.
"The family was at the Social Welfare Center during counseling in 2018. The family divorced. The parents came together, had a joint care agreement and there was no action after that. The center did not have a single indication, either by individuals, mothers or any other bodies that would point to violence,” the secretary of state said.
She called on everyone to always report violence if they have information.
The director of KBC Sisters of Charity Davor Vagić gave a statement about his health condition.
"Absolutely all possible findings are being made due to the suspicion that he was under the influence of psychopharmaceuticals, but we cannot say that with certainty."
Journalists asked him if the perpetrator of the horrific crime was conscious, but he did not answer directly.
"The police are with him and he is under police supervision all the time. You will need to ask the police that part," Vagić said.
He also talked about the condition of Kopitz.
"The first and basic thing is that life functions and everything else is in order and we are sure that he is stable in that regard. Only then will long-term relocation and further care be agreed upon," Vagić said.
