Johann Oberreiter (May 8, 1807 – July 26, 1865) was an Austrian murderer and former mayor of Werfen who was convicted of poisoning his stepdaughter and a biological daughter in 1864, but is also suspected in the death of his first wife in 1855.
The family soon had two daughters and two sons, as well as a stepdaughter from Schintelmaißer's previous marriage, and it was regarded as wealthy and respectable in the village, although Maria was considered choleric and neglectful towards her children.
[2] On February 27, 1865, the trial against Oberreiter began at the Salzburg Regional Court, lasting until March 4, with the stands constantly being crowded by an audience interested in the case.
After a day of deliberation, the court found Oberreiter guilty of poisoning his daughters, but was acquitted in his wife's death due to lack of evidence.
In it, he said that because of his appearance, Oberreiter hardly looked like someone who would commit murder, but nevertheless had the creeping, crawling nature of a reptile, fixing its victim with its gaze before abruptly sneaking up to a place suitable for either attack or defense.
[2] The Neue bayrische Kurier (New Bavarian Courier) reported extensively on the trial, noting that, among other things, Oberreiter's wife Anna had refused to testify against him on the advice of her pastor, who cited that "[he] was still her husband".
[3] The Augsburger Tagblatt reported that Oberreiter had wanted to fix his debts by marrying one of his sons to a rich woman, which fell through because of his sickly daughters.