New developments in first court hearing over brutal murder of young American woman in Budapest

The Budapest Metropolitan Court held a preliminary hearing on Wednesday in a criminal case in which the prosecution accuses an Irish man of homicide, and after the defendant did not admit to committing the crime during the hearing, the court referred the case to trial, the court said on Wednesday.

12 years in prison for the suspect?

In line with the indictment, the Irish man met his future victim at a nightclub on the evening of November 4 last year, where they drank and danced together. They went up to the man’s apartment, where the defendant assaulted and strangled the woman during sexual intercourse. The man then tidied up the apartment, left, bought a large suitcase, and put the woman’s body in it. He then hid the suitcase in a wooded area near Lake Balaton, in western Hungary.

The court said in a statement that the prosecution proposed a 12-year prison sentence without parole and expulsion from Hungary for 10 years if the defendant made a confession and waiver of trial.

Trial begins after what the suspect said

However, at the preliminary hearing, the defendant did not admit to committing the crime he was charged with, so after hearing the evidence, the court referred the case to trial.

The proceedings will continue on February 13, 2026, with the hearing of expert witnesses, the court added based on the Hungarian News Agency.

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