Mischa Ebner

Case details

Mischa Ebner was a Swiss man who was accused of stabbing two young women near Berne in a single hour during the night of 1 August 2002.

Ebner was described as having a “profession bourgeoise”, having a girlfriend, and having a noted success in the traditional military sports discipline “Waffenlauf”, the arms race. The record said that nobody in his circle would have suspected him of being an assassin behind a “jeune homme sympathique et ouvert”.

Ebner later passed to confessions after his arrest and stated during the investigation that he had committed thirty other offences. He then committed suicide during his provisional incarceration.

Timeline

• 1 August 2002 — During the night in Berne, within the space of one hour, two young women were stabbed: a 23-year-old student survived with serious injuries and a 20-year-old college graduate died of her injuries.
• 31 July 2002 to 1 August 2002 — After seriously injuring a 23-year-old Swiss woman in Berne-Bümpliz, Ebner fled by bicycle.
• 1 August 2002 — Near Niederwangen station, after his second victim got off a train, he followed her by bicycle and then on foot before stabbing her to death.
• 21 August 2002 — Ebner was arrested at his home in Spiegel (BE), where he confessed the murder and the attempted murder.
• 24 November 2002 — Ebner committed suicide in prison during provisional detention.
• 17 August 2002 — Police still had no certainty that the aggressions against two women were committed by the same individual; police continued separate investigations while staying in close contact.
• 26 August 2002 — A separate account described the progress of the 23-year-old victim at the Swiss paraplegic centre in Nottwil and discussed the circumstances of both stabbings.

The offence

Two stabbings occurred near Berne within about one hour during the night of 1 August 2002.

The first victim was a Swiss student aged 23. She survived with serious injuries. She was found gravely injured at Bümpliz in front of a family house. Witnesses had heard distress calls around 23h30. She was later transferred to the Swiss Paraplegic Centre in Nottwil (LU), where she was treated by Dr Guido Zäch. She received no less than seven knife wounds in her back. Touching wounds were described as affecting the lungs and the spinal cord at the level of the fifth vertebra. She could not fully move her legs, arms, and hands.

The second victim was a Swiss college graduate aged 20. She was found dead at Niederwangen. An autopsy revealed fatal injuries caused by a cutting weapon “analogue à un couteau”. The killing at Niederwangen was committed after the attempted homicide at Bümpliz. The distance between the two locations could be covered on foot.

The second victim’s name was given as Natalia Patricia Slupski.

A portrait-robot was created based on a testimony from the first victim.

Investigation

Police initially did not have certainty that both aggressions were committed by the same individual. The record said that the injuries’ nature, the brutality of the aggression, and the close geographic proximity were “autant d’éléments troublants,” but that “A ce stade de l’enquête” no evidence allowed confirmation that the two young women were known to each other.

Police said that the authors likely showed traces of scratches on the face and on the hands.

Police also issued a description of a suspect. The weapon used was described as a knife by the accused during the arrest-related account, but the knife was not yet found at that stage.

Police later expanded their investigation to include similar aggressions outside the canton of Berne. Police examined whether Ebner was the jogger who had assaulted a 23-year-old woman in Schinznach Bad (AG). The record said that the police in Argau had made the dossier available.

At least one statement attributed to a police spokesperson indicated that the investigation had been broadened:

• Olivier Cochet, porte-parole de la police bernoise, confirmed that the investigation into the aggressions at Niederwangen and Bümpliz had been extended to similar aggressions outside the canton of Berne.

A remark in the record stated that evidence besides the confessions supported suspicion against Mischa Ebner, and investigators continued investigations to determine whether there was a link with other similar cases that had not been solved.

Arrest

Ebner was arrested on Tuesday at his home in Spiegel (BE), within Köniz territory near the Gurten hill, where he was described as having been arrested at his domicile.

He was said to have confessed the same evening of his arrest.

The record described him as a 27-year-old Swiss cook, described as a specialist in military races and named as Mischa Ebner.

The arrest-related account said that Ebner did not provide motives for his acts, but stated that he was mentally ill. He also allegedly said he had problems with women.

Ebner said that letters he sent to the police had the objective of directing investigators onto false trails. He also claimed not to have known the two victims.

One passage said that a “long work of cross-checking” allowed investigators to identify the suspect and that he was arrested at his home at Spiegel.

Trial

No trial proceedings, court findings, charges, or verdicts were provided in the supplied case record text.

Sentencing

No sentencing information was provided in the supplied case record text.

Appeals

No appeals information was provided in the supplied case record text.

Outcome

Ebner committed suicide during his provisional incarceration while imprisoned on 24 November 2002.

Aftermath

Victim recovery and remarks from the first victim

The first victim, Sascha L. (23), was transferred four days after being stabbed near her home (31 July at Bümpliz) to the Swiss Paraplegic Centre of Nottwil (LU) and treated by Dr Guido Zäch. After “quelques mois de thérapie intensive,” the record said she would return on her feet.

The record stated that she had noticed a cyclist with a pale complexion after leaving a bus and had changed sidewalks in rain. The record said she did not imagine the extent of violence until she was attacked by a man wearing a pink and purple jacket.

The record preserved verbatim statements from the first victim and her father:

• Sascha L. told SonntagsBlick: “J'ai clairement vu son visage. Il n'a pas dit un mot, mais seulement frappé.”
• Her father said: “Lorsqu'elle a vu le portrait-robot réalisé sur la base de son témoignage, le dessin lui a fait peur!”

Neighbourhood response was described: her cries alerted neighbours and “un vétérinaire lui a prodigué les premiers soins sur les marches menant à sa porte.”

The first victim’s father was described as hiring a studio in Nottwil with his ex-wife. A statement attributed to the director of the clinic, Guido Zäch, said:

• Guido Zäch stated: “Sa confiance rayonne.”

The father was quoted on her planned return to studies and on the family situation:

• Sascha was quoted as saying: “Je suis entre de bonnes mains.”
• Her father stated: «La guérison de Sascha est le point le plus important, avec notre intimité familiale. Nous sommes épuisés après avoir craint pour la vie de notre fille. C'était un stress incroyable».
• The father praised police psychology and their behaviour, stating: «Ils ont même effectué une collecte pour offrir un bouquet à Sascha.»
• Sascha was quoted about feelings toward the attacker: «Ce que je ressens envers lui s'exprime mal avec des mots. Ce sont des sentiments horribles: de la haine... Je ne trouve pas d'autres mots.»
• The father quoted a hope and family sentiment: «Sascha pense à elle et nous tous également», conclut le père.

The record stated that Sascha L. did not know either Natalia Slupski or Mischa Ebner.

Letter attributed to Mischa Ebner

The record stated that Ebner wrote a letter to his adoptive mother after being imprisoned since Tuesday evening.

The record preserved verbatim statements from the letter:

• The record described Ebner as making a principal admission: «Je ne comprends pas moi-même mon geste.»

The record also described his alleged desperation and that the authorities protected him against possible suicide.

Other personal background details included

Ebner’s family background was described: he was adopted at age 4 along with his brother, with his brother being 6. The record said his brother did not walk properly and could hardly speak at the time. It quoted his adoptive mother:

• «Les deux garçons n'avaient jamais vu de neige». The record said they experienced “grands dégâts” during early years and that this left psychological and emotional effects.

The record said Ebner’s adoptive mother described him as very sensitive and deeply affected by the suicide of his older brother, who hanged himself in his bedroom four years earlier:

• «C'est ce décès qui l'a fait complètement perdre pied.»

The adoptive mother also said his condition had not seemed noticeable:

• «Il avait toujours l'air content, dans son travail également. Je pensais qu'il avait sa vie en main». The record also said that authorities had removed him from a totally “décousue et conflictuelle” family by the guardianship authorities of Gossau (SG).

Sports and military race success

The record said Ebner gained in 1998 and in 2001 the military race of Frauenfeld, described as one of the most renowned in the country. Ebner was described as a specialist in military races and “triathlonien” in the context of his personal description.

Victim’s ballet background

Sascha L. was described as a ballet enthusiast practising with dedication, with the record noting she danced almost every day from age 5. The record preserved a quote:

• «Depuis l'âge de 5 ans, ma fille danse presque tous les jours». The record said that before university studies in history and French, she studied dance in Berne and in Rotterdam. A desire to dance again was described while she was on her bed at the paraplegic centre in Nottwil.

Additional investigative context

The record said the police had expanded investigations beyond Berne and examined possible connections. It also stated that Ebner claimed he had not committed other offences, while investigators continued nonetheless.

Other details

The record included dated news fragments describing the progression and investigative stance:

• “Un tueur en devenir à Berne ? 17/08/2002” was included as a framing for the statement that police lacked certainty that one person committed both attacks.
• “Le tueur a été arrêté 21/08/2002” was included as framing for the confession and arrest description.
• “Crimes de Berne 26/08/2002” was included as framing for the victim recovery and background narrative.

The record also described that after seriously injuring the first victim in the night of 31 July to 1 August in Berne-Bümpliz, Ebner took flight by bicycle and reached near Niederwangen by chance. The record described how the second victim came down from the train at that moment, and Ebner followed her by bicycle then on foot before stabbing her to death.

The record said that at the stage described, the weapon had not yet been recovered and that the accused had affirmed it was a knife.

The record also said that Ebner was named by the press as “Le tueur de minuit.”