Son of Ukrainian deputy mayor tortured to death to steal crypto in Vienna

2025-12-04 09:06:07

The murder case involving a Ukrainian citizen discovered in a burned-out Mercedes in Donaustadt district (Vienna) on November 26 has been clarified. Vienna police (Austria) reported that two suspects have been arrested for allegedly murdering Danylo K., 21 years old—the son of a high-ranking official in the city of Kharkiv.

Crime Scene## Tortured for Crypto Wallet Passwords

According to the investigation, the victim—a 21-year-old student from Ukraine—was lured by a 19-year-old classmate and a 45-year-old accomplice to the basement of the SO/Vienna hotel. There, following a violent altercation overheard by witnesses who alerted police, the victim was beaten and forced to provide passwords to two crypto wallets containing significant assets.

The victim was then taken to Donaustadt in his own Mercedes S 350D. There, he continued to be brutally assaulted, having all his teeth broken, losing consciousness, and dying from suffocation, head trauma, and ultimately being burned alive with gasoline. The body was found in the back seat, next to a melted gasoline can.

Police stated that the victim’s crypto wallets were emptied immediately after the incident, and one of the two suspects was carrying a large amount of USD when arrested.

Security cameras recorded the two suspects in the hotel basement and at a gas station in district 22, where they purchased the gasoline can used in the crime. After committing the crime, both fled to Ukraine and were arrested there.

Case Handed Over to Ukraine for Prosecution

According to Vienna police, Austria will not extradite the two suspects. Instead, the case has been transferred to the Ukrainian judicial authorities at the request of Kyiv.

Victim of the Case Ukrainian media sources reported that the victim was the son of Sergey K., deputy mayor of Kharkiv, a city with more than 1.5 million residents. The family reported him missing after being unable to contact him for several hours. Sergey K. is currently in Vienna to assist with identification and complete legal procedures.

When asked, Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov gave a brief response: “This is a personal matter. A human tragedy.”

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