BOLZANO. “Waltraud was killed for her courage. When, in the middle of the night, she first heard the screams and then the commotion coming from upstairs, instead of staying in bed, she went out onto the stairwell. She probably wanted to understand what was happening; if anyone needed help. She found herself in front of Ewald, her neighbor, and instinctively she must have tried to disarm him. He killed her.” There is still no official reconstruction of the double homicide, which occurred on the night between Saturday and Sunday in San Candido, in the Ipes building at number 6 of via San Corbiniano, but for a neighbor, who knew the woman well and asks to remain anonymous, Waltraud Jud è dead like this. Killed without a reason by the tenant of the top floor, Ewald Kühbacher, 48, who had lived there for years and often crossed paths with him when he returned home. Maybe, sometimes she even exchanged a few words, but nothing more. Because the man who, on an August night turned into a multiple murderer, is described by everyone as shy and very reserved. Exactly the opposite of the victim.
Mother of three children
Friendly, well known in San Candido and active in the community of the small town less than ten kilometers from the border with Austria, Waltraud Jud, 50 years old, married to Korbinian Hofmannhad three children, two sons, currently abroad for study, and a daughter who works in an accounting firm in the area. She was employed as a secretary at the Dobbiaco-San Candido district heating plant. Her family was made up of musicians: her husband is the director of the San Candido band; she is the secretary. Her brother-in-law Peter Paul Hofmann he is a well-known musician. “He used to dedicate a lot of his free time – an acquaintance tells in shock – especially now that the kids are grown up, to organizing the band’s activities, especially in the summer, in a series of events”.
The family upstairs
On the top floor of the building via San Corbinianoat the entrance to the village, until the other night – when all hell broke loose – lived the Kühbacher family. Martha Wopfnerthe murderer’s mother, died in June 2019. There were still three children left at home Hermann Kühbacher90 years old, and his son Ewald. The other son had not lived there for years. Although he was born and raised in San Candido, few people in the village yesterday seemed to remember Ewald, who took care of his father, a former gamekeeper who had been ill for some time. His condition had gradually worsened; no longer self-sufficient, he needed more and more assistance. “I,” says an acquaintance, “lived in the apartment building across the street; I grew up with Ewald. But then I moved and we lost sight of each other. My parents, who still live there, would meet him sometimes, but we never went beyond a greeting.” It seems that the murderer had previously worked in a bakery in Alta Pusteria; then he was hired as a private security guard.
The Mystery of the Smell of Gas
What happened, shortly before 11 pm, in the Kühbacher apartment? Perhaps we will never know exactly, because Ewald Kühbacher died late yesterday afternoon at the hospital in Bolzano, where he had been admitted in desperate conditions, after shooting himself in the head. One hypothesis is that the murderous fury was triggered by an argument between father and son. The latter, exasperated, allegedly killed him: the body of the elderly man was found lying on the bed. Then, in desperation, the son allegedly turned on the gas, perhaps in an attempt to end it all. But the neighbors, worried about the smell, called the firefighters who, having arrived at number 6 of via San Corbiniano, were hit by a barrage of shots as well as the police cars. A miracle, or perhaps just a coincidence, if the death toll is not heavier.
2024-08-20 01:50:11