Clarens, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A second murder trial in Switzerland this week of a group of young people accused of senselessly someone to death was underway Wednesday in Clarens, for the 2006 murder of a 62-year-old man who was receiving a disability pension. The first trial has been going on in Locarno, Ticino, for the murder of a 22-year-old student less than a year ago during Mardi Gras. In both cases, the victim was not known to the assailants and a focal point for the trials is to determine why a beating suddenly turned to group rage, leading to murder.

The Clarens murder case, reported in detail by 20 Minutes (Fre), appears to have involved drugs and alcohol. Three men and one woman are on trial, with a fifth person serving as witness: he was the youngest of the group and was earlier found guilty of murder, as a juvenile. It appears that he and his girlfriend at the time wanted to rob the man of his credit card but they and their companions ended up assaulting him, continuing to beat him and finally knife him to death after he was on the ground from his blows.

In the Ticino trial which began Monday the three youths, aged 18-21, had been drinking during Carnaval festivitiees and turned on the young man for reasons none can remember, a fact that the judge has said makes him consider them extremely dangerous. Details, TSR (Fre)

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