Climber Faces Homicide Charges After His Partner Dies. When Does a Bad Decision Become a Crime?

On January 18, Thomas Plamberger, 36, and his girlfriend, Kerstin Gurtner, 33, were attempting a technical overnight winter ascent of the Grossglockner (3,798m/12,461ft), Austria’s highest mountain. The following morning, Plamberger was safely off the mountain, but Gurtner still lay some 100 feet below the summit. When she became too exhausted to safely descend, Plamberger reportedly left her to seek help. By the time rescuers reached her the following day, she had frozen to death.

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