‘It’s a Witch Hunt’: Mother of Woman Dead in Austria’s Highest Peak Defends Daughter’s Boyfriend Charged With Leaving Her To Die
A mother rejecting the lust for vengeance.
We have reported here on TGP about the tragic case of Thomas Plamberger and Kerstin Gurtner.
Experienced mountaineer Plamberger has been criminally charged for allegedly leaving his struggling girlfriend Gurtner to freeze to death on Austria’s highest peak of Grossglockner.
Welt reported:
“The Innsbruck public prosecutor’s office sees the case less as a tragic accident than a grossly negligent homicide – a crime that can be punished with a prison sentence of three years in Austria. The whole tour had been prepared and carried out amateurishly. On Thursday, the trial against the friend who left his girlfriend behind on the mountain begins.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, the couple set off at the foot of the mountain at around 6:45 a.m. The planned route was to lead up the Stüdlgrat, a challenging tour. For the investigators, the drama began at this point: Kerstin G. had never completed such an alpine high-altitude tour of this length, difficulty and altitude. The wintry conditions also made the tour more difficult. Despite these factors, Thomas P. did not use emergency bivouac equipment because he did not expect to need one.”
But now, in a rather surprising turn of events, Gurtner’s mother has come out criticizing the ‘witch hunt’ against Plamberger.
The Telegraph reported:
“Thomas P, 39, was charged with grossly negligent homicide after Kerstin G, his 33-year-old girlfriend, died while they were hiking in the Austrian Alps on Jan 18 2025. However, Kerstin G’s mother criticized the allegations, saying it made her ‘angry’ that her daughter was being portrayed as a ‘naïve little thing’.”
“I think it’s unfair how Kerstin’s boyfriend is being treated. There’s a witch hunt against him in the media and online. The two of them always made their decisions together. Many people who blame Kerstin’s boyfriend have never been in such a situation. It’s easy to be a hero in the comfort of your own home.”
Kerstin collapsed from exhaustion just 150ft from the Grossglockner’s summit.
“Thomas P decided to leave her and climb back down the mountain to seek help. But in the six hours he was gone, Kerstin G died from extreme cold.
Since then, he has been accused of making a series of life-threatening errors during the trip and faces up to three years in prison if convicted.”
Read more:
The post ‘It’s a Witch Hunt’: Mother of Woman Dead in Austria’s Highest Peak Defends Daughter’s Boyfriend Charged With Leaving Her To Die appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.