Story By: Koen Berghuis, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
Picture Credit: CEN
The London-based cousin of a man allegedly hacked to pieces by his girlfriend and partly dissolved in acid has flown to Hungary to try to identify the body.
The woman, identified as Hungarian national Szilvia P., 27, has been arrested on suspicion of killing her 32-year-old Tunisian boyfriend Achref K. at their home in the Austrian capital Vienna.
She reportedly hacked his body into pieces, packed it into some suitcases and fled to her native town of Jaszladany using a ridesharing app.
The suspect and her mother then allegedly tried to dissolve the remains in acid bought at a DIY store.
Achref K., the son of a Tunisian doctor from Jendouba, had moved to Austria to seek a better future for himself.
His family said they were “devastated” and that they wanted to get some answers as soon as possible.
According to local media, the victim’s cousin Achref K., who lives in London, will be the first family member to travel to Hungary.
The relative, whose name has not been reported, told local media: “I have to travel from London to identify him. We can still hardly believe it.”
According to local media, the Tunisian migrant was repeatedly violent towards Szilvia, and in a rage on the morning of 24th February she allegedly stabbed him to death with a kitchen knife.
The suspect then cut off the victim’s head, hands and legs and packed the body parts in a suitcase, according to reports.
She is then suspected of using an unnamed ridesharing app to flee with the body to her native Hungary.
Reports said that Szilvia P. told her 51-year-old mother about the crime and that they both decided to dissolve the body in acid.
Szilvia’s mother reportedly bought 10 litres of hydrochloric acid in a DIY store, although their attempts to dissolve the body failed as the amount of acid was not enough for the grisly task at hand.
According to local media, they placed the partly-burned corpse into several rubbish bags and dumped them in an irrigation canal in the town of Jaszalsoszentgyorgy.
Afterwards, they reportedly went to eat a burger together.
The crime was discovered when a 15-year-old boy saw a hand sticking out of one of the rubbish bags when he cycled by.
With the help of Europol, investigators managed to identify the body by his unique scorpion tattoo.
The DIY shop worker who sold the acid has reportedly testified to the cops which led to the arrest of the mother and daughter.
According to local media, Szilvia P. has confessed to the crime, telling investigators: “Yes, I committed the crime in Vienna. I then transported the body in several suitcases to Hungary and hid it with the help of my mum.”
She is still locked up in investigative custody while her mother has been released pending the investigation.
It is not yet known whether they will be extradited to Austria or face charges in Hungary.
The investigation is ongoing.