Austrian woman dies after alleged sexual abuse by husband as prosecutors probe case dubbed Pelicot 2.0 by local media

By Saskya Vandoorne, CNN

(CNN) — A 40-year-old Austrian woman has died from what prosecutors say were injuries after her husband allegedly sexually abused her while she was “extremely intoxicated and therefore defenseless.”

Authorities are now investigating whether other men may have also sexually abused the woman, potentially in exchange for payment. The woman has not been named.

Austrian media have dubbed the case “Pelicot 2.0,” drawing comparisons to the Frenchwoman Gisèle Pelicot, whose former husband Dominique Pelicot drugged her for years and recruited dozens of strangers to rape her while she was unconscious.

Prosecutors in the Austrian city of Wels, about 150 miles West of Vienna, said reports in the local press of a so called wider “rape network” cannot yet be confirmed but remain under investigation.

The victim was found severely injured and bleeding at her home in Marchtrenk, near Wels in Upper Austria, on June 26, according to prosecutors. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene and an autopsy was ordered.

The authorities are investigating claims that the woman was sexually abused by both her 51-year-old husband and another 51-year-old man, the prosecutors said. Both men are now in custody, but prosecutors say only the husband has been linked to the act that caused her death.

The second man has confessed and is remorseful, according to prosecutors. He is being investigated over two alleged instances of abuse of a defenseless or impaired person.

The husband has declined to comment on the allegations. He is being investigated over allegations of abuse of a defenseless or impaired person resulting in death, an offense carrying a potential sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison or life.

He could ultimately face a murder charge, depending on what investigators are able to establish about his intent.

Prosecutors said no money is believed to have changed hands between the husband and the second man currently in custody.

The Wels Public Prosecutor’s Office told CNN the investigation is ongoing and declined to provide further details about the alleged acts, citing respect for the victim and investigative considerations.

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CNN’s Caroline Baum and Kara Fox contributed to this report