Caroline List, the widow of the late Justice Section Chief Christian Pilnacek, has defended the conduct of investigators during a hearing before the investigation committee on Thursday.
Appearing before the representatives, List stated she was “deeply impressed” by the “professionalism” of the officers involved and the “simultaneously shown empathy for a bereaved person.” Her testimony followed a similar defense of police procedures provided by the head of the Lower Austrian State Criminal Police Office.
The significance of List’s testimony is underscored by her professional background; she currently serves as the President of the Regional Court for Criminal Matters in Graz. List noted that she has worked closely with the criminal police for decades and maintains the “greatest respect” for the work performed by criminal investigators.
However, List emphasized that she appeared before the committee primarily in her capacity as the wife of a deceased person. She described the death of Christian Pilnacek as having caught her “completely unprepared,” adding that she spent the initial days and weeks following the event in a state of “shock and mourning.” Due to this emotional distress, she indicated that many of her recollections from that period are only “fragmentary.”
Given the fragmented nature of the witness’s memories, the committee may need to rely more heavily on documented evidence or other testimonies to reconstruct the timeline of events. The proceedings are likely to continue as the committee evaluates the professionalism and efficiency of the investigation into the former Justice Section Chief’s death.
