Rupperswil murder case

Events

On December 21, 2015, firemen were directed to a fire in an apartment building in Rupperswil, a community with about 5,000 inhabitants in the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland. Four bodies were located at the site, and soon it became clear that the four people had been killed before the fire broke out. A five months long investigation finally concluded on May 12, 2016 when the suspect was apprehended in the same town.

The victims were Carla Schauer, 48 years old, her two sons Davin (13) and Dion (19) and Dion's girlfriend, Simona Fäs (21). The murderer, Thomas Nick a 33-year-old student, entered the family's apartment after the mother's life partner left. By threatening Davin, he made his mother tie up Dion and Simona, and demanded money. After the mother returned from the bank, he sexually abused the younger child, and then killed the victims by slashing their throats. After setting fire to the apartment, he left.

The police of the Canton of Aargau offered a previously unheard-of sum - 100,000 Swiss Francs - as a reward for hints. For five months, the killer remained elusive, but he was finally apprehended after a thorough investigation. Traces of his DNA as well as his fingerprints have been identified at the crime location, and he has laid down a comprehensive confession. He lived with his mother in the same town, was known for owning two Huskies, and spent much time training and coordinating the soccer youth in his area. He did not know the victims beforehand and may have sought them out because the family had a 13-year-old son.

When he was apprehended, the police found cable ties, adhesive tape, an old Swiss army ordnance pistol (Pistole 1900/06/29, a version of the Luger pistol) as well as prepared handcuffs made from rope. These were interpreted as a sign that he planned future crimes of a similar nature.