The 32-year-old not only uploaded disturbing videos to the internet, he also threatened his neighbors with death – because they were mowing their lawns too loudly. He has now been convicted, but he does not have to go to prison.
The 32-year-old not only stabbed stuffed animals, but also threatened his neighbors in his videos.
It is the story of a gradual escalation. When the now 32-year-old Swiss man moved into his single-family home in the Zurich lowlands in 2021, he unsettled his neighbors with his “conspicuous and aggressive behavior.” This is evident from a legally binding penal order against the man, which the NZZ has seen.
The young man lived alone in the house and, according to the penal order, he lived there in an “increasingly neglected, withdrawn and isolated from society.” He is said to have shouted and banged on the walls in particular. The neighborhood became increasingly concerned about their safety and two police operations were also carried out.
In March 2022, the accused put a letter in his neighbor’s mailbox. In the letter, he threatened the neighbor’s parents with death because, in his opinion, they had mowed the lawn too loudly.
In January 2023, the man freaked out in the parking lot of a Coop branch because a passerby had reprimanded him. The accused is said to have “terribly insulted” the woman and thrown a shopping basket in her direction twice without injuring her.
Disturbing YouTube videos
His behavior became even more irritating after that. From June 2023, the young Swiss man began uploading over a hundred videos to his YouTube channel, each of which showed him in his basement wearing a mask. According to the accused’s statements, the videos are “film analyses” as an art form. However, it was seen how he repeatedly shouted loudly, sometimes using very drastic language, well below the belt, and sometimes stabbed stuffed animals with a butcher’s knife.
In March 2024, for example, he shouted in a video in which he was obviously upset about his neighbors’ gardening: “Don’t you realize that I can not only lead you into revolution, but also kill you? Don’t you realize that? Don’t you realize that at some point I will run out to you armed with a can of gasoline, pour it over you and then set you on fire? No? Well, have fun tending the garden of this shitty villa, you pathetic freaks!”
In September 2023, he shouted in another video: “In the third season, depending on our mood, we will wear the Gonzo 19 mask, or, the Gonzo, you see, she looks much sweeter and nicer. She still means well by people. But not this one. She wants to destroy. She wants to disguise herself and go out hunting people. Not just scare them, but kill them straight away. Maybe fool them first and let them believe that they are just being fooled, and then suddenly take out the knife and stab them . . . and stab them . . . I need a sharper knife, you can’t get through skin with that, let alone bone . . . “
The young man needs therapy
According to the penal order, the accused frightened his neighbors to such an extent that they feared for their lives and alerted the police several times. The young film analyst was arrested in April 2024 and spent 20 days in custody.
During the house search, several items were confiscated and destroyed. The penal order lists, among other things, a teddy bear with a cable around its neck, a stuffed dog, twenty masks, two knives, a wig, a hat, a handsaw and a flag.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office I for Violent Crimes has now sentenced the 32-year-old to a suspended fine of 120 daily rates of 30 francs (3,600 francs) for “frightening the population”. The probation period is 3 years. The man was imprisoned for 20 days.
The probationary period for serving the fine was set at an extended three years. Probation assistance will be ordered for the duration of this probationary period. The accused was also instructed to undergo psychiatric and psychotherapeutic treatment, which will be supervised, during the probationary period.
The accused was ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings totalling 1,000 francs. The costs of his official defence will be borne by the state treasury.
126 videos deleted on YouTube
His YouTube channel still exists. Almost all of the videos on it, except for one, have been deleted. One video can still be viewed. The accused comments that it is his favorite of all 126 episodes. In this video, too, you can see him posing in his basement wearing a mask.
In addition, the accused states under the video that his stuffed animals “Vladimir Mohammed McWalter” and “Creepy Tillyboy” were destroyed “by the helping hand of the state authorities.” “They are no longer alive.” Three weeks in prison have proven to be “an effective method of torture for overly extreme art fanatics.”
The general information on his YouTube channel also states that a conspiracy between the police and the public prosecutor’s office led to the operator “landing in jail for three weeks” for his videos. The charge was only invented because of his film analyses. Until his probation period expires, the new art form will be on hold for three years.
However, he announced that it would continue on May 1, 2027. But there will definitely not be “a Facebook backup or even a censored and commented re-release of the first 126 episodes on YouTube.”
